KANGAR, March 15 (Bernama) -- A former Appeals Court judge has expressed the hope that the government will appoint an individual from the orang asli community as a senator.

Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah, in a statement here today, said this was to enable the appointed individual to voice out the hopes and problems of the minority community.

He said that since the government had announced a financial allocation and long-term strategic plan to develop the orang asli community, it was only right that a senator be appointed from among them.

He also hoped that senior officers in Sabah and Sarawak could be loaned to federal departments to enable them to gain experience that would stand them in good stead to implement the development plan in their respective states.