The term “Sakai” has resurfaced in public debate after being used to insult Cameron Highlands MP Ramli Nor.
Rights groups have condemned the comment as hate speech and demanded that the term be abolished.
But an Orang Asli student association is pushing back, warning that erasing the word from official use could threaten legal protections tied to indigenous land rights and identity. Instead, they’re campaigning to reclaim the term through the #ProudSakai movement.
Can the term Sakai be reclaimed as a symbol of pride? Or should it be erased from our vocabulary altogether?
Astro Awani’s Melisa Idris talks to Dr Kamal Solhaimi Fadzil, the head of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology and head of the Centre for Malaysia Pribumi Studies both at the University of Malaya; and Dr Colin Nicholas, the founder and coordinator of the Center for Orang Asli Concerns.
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Produced by: Astro Awani
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