SHAH ALAM, April 23 — Sixty-one solar-powered streetlights have been erected in Orang Asli villages across Selangor to improve residents’ safety and facilitate convenience, said state executive councillor for Orang Asli and minority affairs Papparaidu Veraman.
He added that 37 such lights were installed last year in five villages, while another 24 units were put up this year in four villages.
“There are no TNB cables or electricity supply in the area, so we have to use solar lamps to help,” he said when met at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly today.
He said the initiative is especially important as it helps Orang Asli children travel to school early in the morning and improves road visibility at night.
“During visits, sometimes these Orang Asli villages are fine during the day, but at night it is really dark. The roads are also not very even,” he said.
In addition to solar lamps, Papparaidu also highlighted several state government initiatives benefiting Orang Asli communities, including a futsal sports carnival in Sungai Bumbun and Sungai Melut (RM10,000 allocation), repairs to damaged facilities such as fences, surau, and houses affected by storms (RM57,893.50), and reading programmes in Kuala Langat and Hulu Langat (RM20,000).
Other initiatives include the installation of water meters in 11 houses at Kampung Orang Asli Bakar Leleh in Pulau Carey (RM4,950), and an Aidilfitri open house at Kampung Orang Asli Kolam Air Bangkong (RM5,000).
Moreover, Papparaidu said around 20 Orang Asli students achieved excellent results in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2025, including one who scored 9As.
“This achievement is significant given the (academic) challenges faced by Orang Asli students.
“I feel that it is not easy for Orang Asli students to achieve excellent results, so this is an achievement we should celebrate,” he added.
He also said a special appreciation event will be organised to celebrate their achievement, with discussions ongoing with village leaders for further details.
“We are still discussing details with the Tok Batin. We will give cash rewards to motivate them to further their studies,” Papparaidu explained.
