University of Nottingham associate professor Suria Selasih Angit, speaks during roundtable dialogue on Orang Asli children and schooling at Taylor’s Lakeside University July 27,2019. — Pictures by Miera Zulyana

SUBANG JAYA, July 27 — While the Constitution guarantees every Malaysian the freedom of religion, there are some teachers who still try to subtly convert Orang Asli children, indigenous research experts say.

Centre for Orang Asli Concerns founder and co-ordinator Colin Nicholas and University of Nottingham assistant professor Suria Angit said this today at a roundtable dialogue on the education development efforts for Orang Asli children.

In his presentation, Colin who has been researching Orang Asli communities, said that a 1960 government policy — which has since been scrapped — even promoted the “assimilation” of Orang Asli into the Malay race.

“But later on, because of the not so politically correct term of the word assimilation, they changed it to integration into the mainstream of society.

“In reality if you ask me, it’s the same, because by way of education, by way of progress, by way of infrastructure facilities and support and so on, the idea is to make Orang Asli (into) Malay, and the best way of course is through schools.

“But if you listen to Mahathir, he has said before that, you know schools now are actually a platform for religious conversions. Everything is about religion. Mahathir himself (said it),” Colin said, referring to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Colin was responding to a question about the alleged religious conversions of Orang Asli children in the Kemas kindergartens which are government-operated, and placed under the Community Development Department (Kemas), of the Rural Development Ministry.

He, however, said that not all Kemas pre-schools engage in such acts, pointing out that there is also no policy to convert Orang Asli to Islam.

“There is no policy, but in reality, certain individual teachers take it upon themselves that this is their whatever duty to do it. So you find it that in some areas, there is very active, low-key or subtle way of conversion,” he added.

Colin then related an incident when a concerned Orang Asli parent, upon checking her daughter’s school bag, found an Islamic studies certificate, which he said was issued by the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi).

This he asserted, was despite the parent not wanting to have her daughter undertake such a course.

“The Aboriginal Peoples Act provides that no Orang Asli child should be given religious instructions. Whatever religion. Christianity, Islam or anything, without the written consent from the parent. This is not followed.

“So the reality is that, there are a lot of little Napoleons who do not understand the purpose of education, but have another agenda,” he added.

Suria, meanwhile related another similar incident about an Orang Asli government school she had visited. In the course of her research, she found out Orang Asli children were being taught Arabic instead of their mother tongue, the Semai language.

“And there was also a school where we visited, that instead of teaching Semai, because in that school they were supposed to be teaching Semai as one of the subjects.

“Instead of teaching Semai, they teach more Malay, which is understandable on the basis that Malay (language) is our national language, but they also teach Arabic, because they said, according to the school statistics, most of the students are Muslims. This is an Orang Asli school by the way.

“So they feel like when you’re a Muslim, you need to learn Arabic. Orang Asli children should be able to learn their own mother tongue, their own languages in formal education as well, so they can preserve their identities. But why are we turning them into Arabs?” Suria who is from the Temiar tribe, asked.

Jenita Engi, an Orang Asli from the Temuan tribe and an education consultant for community teachers, said that the education of Orang Asli children must not be marred by politics.

“If it’s in a rural area, then follow the culture of the rural area,” Jenita said, adding that the function of Kemas has to be refined, based on where it is located, and must have a more comprehensive curriculum depending on the type of attendees it has.

She, however, praised the Kemas pre-school programme as being a laudable government initiative, to expose Orang Asli children to early education.