“It’s utter misinformation and deception on the part of KFD to make such a statement,” he told FMT when contacted.
“Even if one person is against logging, he has the basis and the justification to do so. You don’t need the majority.”
Colin was responding to remarks by KFD director Zahari Ibrahim that the majority of the Orang Asli community supported the stance of the department and the state government on logging. Zahari based this on feedback from Temiar village chiefs.
He said Zahari’s remarks reminded one of the recent inauguration of US President Donald Trump who claimed 1.5 million people attended the ceremony although media reports of the number was much less, some even saying only 250,000 attended.
“I think he has taken the cue from Trumps’s inauguration for numbers. These guys are just picking figures from the sky without any basis.”
On Monday, 16 Orang Asli were arrested by the KFD in connection with the blockades they put up to stop loggers from entering the forest reserve area in Gua Musang.
This caused an outrage among the Orang Asli nationwide, who claimed that the state government had failed to look after their welfare.
Colin, however, conceded there is a small minority of Temiar Orang Asli who supported logging activities, saying that these people were obvious cronies of the state government.
“The reality is that there are a few Temiar individuals in Kelantan who are agreeable to logging.
“These are the people who were involved in the exploitation of Orang Asli and the forest for the last 30 years. They are now aligned with PAS.”
Colin subsequently questioned if KFD’s claims were based on any surveys conducted on the Orang Asli community.
“I’m very sure that no one in the KFD has conducted a survey on what the Orang Asli actually think and feel in Gua Musang.
“Just because some didn’t come down to the protest at the blockade, it doesn’t mean that they support the state government and KFD.”