The government agency entrusted to oversee the affairs of the Orang Asli is the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli or the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA). This body is under the Malaysian Ministry of Rural Development and it was first set up in 1954. Among its stated objectives are:
- to eradicate poverty among the Orang Asli;
- to improve health of Orang Asli;
- to promote education among Orang Asli; and
- to improve their general livelihood.
There is a high incidence of poverty among the Orang Asli. In 1997, 80 percent of all Orang Asli lived below the poverty line. The ratio was extremely high compared to the national poverty rate of 8.5 percent. In 2010, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, 76.9 percent of the Orang Asli population remained below the poverty line, with 35.2 percent classified as living in hard-core poverty, compared to 1.4 percent nationally.
Legislation
Some legislation concerning the Orang Asli are as below:
- The National Land Code 1965
- The Land Conservation Act 1960
- The Protection of wildlife Act 1972
- The National Parks Act 1980
- The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954
A landmark case on this matter was in the 2002 case of Sagong bin Tasi & Ors v. Kerajaan Negeri Selangor. This case was concerned with the state using its powers conferred under the 1954 Act to evict Orang Asli from the gazetted Orang Asli Reserve Land. The High Court of Malaya ruled in favor of Sagong Tasi, who represented the Orang Asli and his decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The Orang Asli are classified as Bumiputras, a status signifying indigenity to Malaysia which carries certain social, economic and political rights along with the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. However, this status is generally not mentioned in the Federal Constitution.
Mahathir Mohamad, made controversial remarks regarding the Orang Asli. He said that Orang Asli were not entitled more rights than Malays even though they were natives to the land, as posted in his blog comparing the Orang Asli in Malaysia to Native Americans in the US, Maori in New Zealand and Aboriginal Australians. He was criticized by spokespeople and advocates for the Orang Asli who said that the Orang Asli desired to be recognized as the true natives of Malaysia and that his statement would expose their land to businessmen and loggers.
A major scandal involving the deaths of several escapee Orang Asli students led to a discussion over the role of religious indoctrination in schools. MUIP filed new Muslim converts from the Orang Asli and the Kelantan state government was sued due to a dispute over land by Orang Asli.
References
- Nik Sukry Ramli, Pahang Warta 7, 156 Hektar Tanah Rizab Orang Asli, Wilayah, Berita Harian, 20 November 2019 (Online)
