The First Rumah Malaysia

The First Rumah Malaysia At Tasik Chini

PEKAN, october 4 -- More than four decades ago many of the dwellers in the Orang Asli village in Tasek Cini lived in houses floating on water.

As there was no electricity, they depended on the oil lamp and moonlight at night. They basically lived on the resources from the jungle.

Now they have migrated to land where they have built houses on terra firma and have cultivated crops. However, the jungles are still an important part of their lives where they still hunt and gather resources to earn a living.

"During my father and grandfather's time, they lived on floating homes because the feared wild animals like elephants and tigers. We were safe on floating homes on Tasik Cini.

"My dad decided to move to land as many of our belongings were lost in the lake. At that time I was between 12 or 13 years old, and definitely naughty.

"At times I dropped the plates, knives and machete into the water. My father got angry and said we can't be living like this, we should move to land," said Awang bin Alok, 69, the Tok Batin (headman) of Kampung Gumum to Bernama during a recent interview.

According to this Orang Asli village headman, there are about 500 villagers from 140 Orang Asli families from the Jakun sub group living in Kampung Gumum located about 75km from the royal city of Pekan.

The village is one of the five scattered over 405 hectares of land with the others being Ulu Gumum, Melai, Tanjung Puput and Cendahan.

THE ORIGINS OF KAMPUNG GUMUM

According to Awang who has been Kampung Gumum's Tok Batin since 1968, the village was named after 'Seri Gumum', the legendary dragon said to be living in Tasek Cini, the second biggest natural lake in the country.

Awang's father is among the first to make the transition to land from the floating homes.

After shifting to land, to sustain life, Awang's father planted paddy, sweet potatoes and corn, and hunted.

"In the early 1960s, the area around the village was covered with thick forest and there were a handful of families only. As time went by more people migrated there and started settling down up to the Sungai Pahang estuary," noted Awang in fluent Malay.

The people from the Jakun sub group are generally proficient in the Malay language.

NOW ENJOYING DEVELOPMENT

Awang recalled that the dwellers in Kampung Gumum started enjoying government assistance through the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) in 1970.

They were initially provided with rubber seeds and wooden houses known as 'Rumah Melati'.

But since 1993, JHEOA started building houses made of brick and mortar under the Hardcore Poor Housing Project (PPRT) and up to now 26 of these houses have been built. Some were built to replace the 'Rumah Melati' that has become dilapidated.

The public amenities have been provided since 1995 starting with electricity. The tar road at this village was built in 1997 while piped water reached villagers in Kampung Gumum in year 2000.

"Life now is quite different compared when I was a small boy. There are lots of facilities, comfortable houses, and electricity except for a few houses.

"A very big thank you especially to JHEOA. If you were to say that the Orang Asli people are leading a hard life, the Orang Asli people have been sidelined, then you are wrong," noted Awang.

From the healthcare viewpoint, villagers seeking treatment can go to the clinic in Felda Cini or Kuantan Hospital.

MORE FACILITIES

On the education facilities for the children in the village, the Sekolah Rendah Tasek Cini caters for them.

For secondary education, the children have to go to Pekan and put up in hostels. These children will return home every fortnight.

Awang added that almost all the primary school students in his village continue their studies to the secondary level.

"Last year two students from this village managed to get into university," he said proudly.

As for those who fail to continue their studies, they have to fend for themselves including by looking for rotan or Tongkat Ali in the jungles, work in the shops or collect fruits when they are in season.

"There are also some who catch fish. Nobody here shuns work. There are only a handful who don't work," he explained.

Other than the income from their hard work, each household also receives RM500 monthly payment as their share of the palm oil cultivation undertaken by JHEOA through Risda.

They can earn up to RM1,000 per month if they work in the plantation.

The Tok Batin whose right hand is weak still works hard. He still taps rubber at his 1.2 hectare land.

Tapping, he said, is done in stages and at times his wife helps.

"I can earn up to RM400 per month by selling the latex," he said adding that the amount helps in financing the family needs.

ADVICE AND HOPE

While there has been reports that the Orang Asli children are involved in social problems like drug addiction, on the contrary the Kampung Gumum's Tok Batin is happy to note that none of the children from his village got involved in such problems.

"Nevertheless, I always remind the parents to take a good care of their children. I go house to house. If I'm to wait for them to come to my house it is going to be difficult as they often go out far to work or fish and return home late in the evening," he said.

Though the people in Kampung Gumum no longer live hands to mouth, there are still lots of things that can be done to provide employment and earning opportunities.

Looking at the village's close proximity to Tasek Cini, it holds a big potential as a tourist destination.

Awang is hopeful that the authorities will rehabilitate the lake area that is now in a state of neglect.

"If the lake area beside this village can be beautified, it can be made into a tourist attraction. The road to this village is already good enough.

"They can go for boat rides, go fishing or go trekking in the jungles. All this can attract outsiders to this village and provide employment opportunity for the villagers.

"We can even highlight the handicraft industry in the village," said Awang ending the interview.