BY ALLISON LAI
Tranquil setting: An orang asli home on Carey Island.
KUALA LANGAT: Carey Island has always been an idyllic place, and the home of the famous Mah Meri orang asli tribe where tourists can find wood carvings.
In a few years, it is set to be an ultra-modern port, with up-to-date facilities, and even a shipyard where ocean-going vessels can dock for repairs and maintenance,
Besides the orang asli, there are also fishermen and estate workers on the island. Separated from the mainland by Sungai Langat, the 13,000ha (130sq km) island is a peaceful place with most of its land being oil palm estates owned by Sime Darby Plantations. There is also some pristine jungle area.
The approximately 1,500-strong community from five orang asli villages mostly earn a living by fishing, woodcarving and handicraft weaving with some working at the estates.
According to Diaman anak Kisah, 57, the land that the tribe members inherited from their forefathers was the pulse of the community, as it was where they lived and farmed.
“Apart from the usual fishing at sea, shallow sea fishing is also a frequent activity for the orang asli and also outside fishermen.
“A drive till the end of Jalan Pulau Carey is a beach where many visitors go to in the morning and evening. Locals and visitors alike like to come here to take a stroll on the sandy beach.
“Families stay for picnics and fishermen set out to sea to set traps for crabs and also fish for ikan gelama, ikan duri and ikan senangin kecil,” said Diaman, who does wood carvings and cultural face-changing dance for a living.
“Dogs are a common sight on the beach and they tag along as fishermen set traps in the shallow waters.
“As for crab hunting on the beach, the dogs will usually bark and alert their masters of where to find crabs,” he added.
Another resident, who wished to be known as Rajah, said the beach was also where Hindus perform their funeral rites before scattering the ashes in the sea, as there is a Hindu temple near the beach.
The new huge port-industrial city project may see the extinction of some these characteristics of Carey island but much of it will not be affected.
It is learnt that the port city will occupy largely what is now the oil palm estates and the forest. A couple of orang asli villages near the area may be affected.
Maznah anak Unyan, 48, who weaves and sells handicraft for a living, said she was worried that the development would destroy the jungle, where the community source for mengkuang and nipah leaves for weaving.
“The land and the jungle mean the world to us. We do not want it to be disturbed or destroyed,” she said at her home in Kampung Sungai Bumbun here.
Other residents, however, welcomed the project, saying it was long overdue and would bring economic development to the area.
“It will definitely create more jobs for the locals,” said Shidin anak Bujang, the tok batin (village head) of Kampung Sungai Bumbun.
Contractor P. Kato, whose family has been living on Pulau Carey for three generations, said the project would add value to the property prices on the island.
Klang MCA division vice-president Datuk Dr Ching Eu Boon said the third port project would ease the overwhelming logistics needs at the current Northport and Westport in Port Klang.
“The current two ports won’t be able to meet the logistics demand in the region in the next few years. Having the third port in Pulau Carey is ideal.
“With the Belt and Road initiative and also the new double-track rail project connecting Port Klang (Selangor) to Tumpat (Kelantan), the third port is likely to become the new buzz point in Asia,” he said.
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