The Orang Asli ministry is a response to the cry of the poor. While Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of economic and developmental progress, we find 200,000 Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia left far behind. Statistics by Jabatan Orang Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA) tells us that close to 90% still live in poverty.

 

The Church has to become the voice of the poorest of the poor. And when we stop listening to such cries, we have lost our sense of mission. 

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This is the role of the Orang Asli ministry. The mission is hands on. The outreach involves listening to the poor and becoming a friend. It is never about doing but it is about being and becoming. When we are with the people, the work becomes meaningful and it becomes God's work not ours.

Ultimately, our role is never to assimilate the Orang Aslis into Catholicism. It is our intention, so God help us we pray to see that the Orang Asli become the Masters of their own Destiny.