The Orang Asli – an umbrella term which denotes the many disparate groups of indigenous peoples in Malaysia – have been on the short end of the stick for many years, with reports of their struggles adapting to modern life commonplace in the local discourse.
Despite many initiatives, both by the government and by civil society, little progress has been made in addressing their economic plight. Their primarily agrarian endeavours are deeply susceptible to natural (droughts, pest infestation, etc) as well as man-made (pollution, development, logging, etc) hindrances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the latest government figures show that more Orang Asli are living below the poverty line compared to just over a decade ago.
In a…