Retired Orang Asli Cop Builds Comfortable New Home For Family Gatherings

By Rosmalis Anuar

GUA MUSANG, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Despite spending decades outside of Kelantan due to his duties as a police officer, an Orang Asli from the Mendriq tribe continues to preserve his community's traditional lifestyle in his daily life.

After serving for 37 years since March 15, 1985, Razman Periyak, 63, decided to move from Perak to his hometown in Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Lah here, following his retirement on Jan 1, 2022.

Age was no barrier for him in fulfilling his dream of building a small wooden house for his five children and nine grandchildren to gather when they return to the village, ensuring that the traditions of the Mendriq tribe continue to live on in his family.

The traditional house, surrounded by modern cement-walled homes, caught the attention of Bernama journalists covering the Nenggiri state by-election.

According to Razman, he chose to dismantle his original bamboo house before constructing a more comfortable three-bedroom wooden house with the help of his nephew.

"Previously, the original house had no walls, so we used a fire pit under the house to repel mosquitoes. When my extended families came back to the village, they had to sleep in a house with no walls. That's why I built this house to make it more comfortable for gatherings," he said.

Razman said the construction of the house, which used the traditional Orang Asli architectural techniques, began on March 18, 2024 and was completed fully last week, utilising forest resources such as Bayur wood and costing less than RM8,000.

He also built a modest gazebo in front of the house, equipped with a bamboo table and long benches, to be used for family gatherings or feasts, which can accommodate up to 20 people at a time.

In addition to relying on his monthly pension, Razman also collects and sells tree roots as traditional medicine to the local community.

Meanwhile, the village head, Tok Batin Ali Lateh, said the village was established in the 1990s, after the residents moved from their original settlement which was a bit further into the interior.

"Before this, we lived near the river. After the road was completed here in 1982, we moved to the current village in 1990 to be closer to the road," he said.

He said the land ownership status of the village remains under the Kelantan government, with the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) assisting in paying the annual rent to the state government.

"We are indeed striving to change the land ownership to private status; the current land status is pending, and we have no rights to the land here. We are here thanks to Jakoa’s initiative," he added.

-- BERNAMA