Unshackling the Orang Asli mindset
PONTIAN: It is an indisputable fact that the Orang Asli communities have made vast contributions to the peace and tranquillity enjoyed by this nation.
With National Day just around the corner, it is a good time for Malaysians to feel grateful to the indigenous minorities who played a part in defending the country during the communist insurgency from 1948 to 1960.
In particular, the Senoi Praaq – a special forces unit largely made up of ethnic people that was created in 1956 by the British colonial authorities to fight communism – stood out with their unique skills and proved their competence in battling the communists, most of whom operated from the jungle.
Currently, a large portion of the 178,197 Orang Asli living in 854 villages in the peninsula still practises the traditional way of life.
Their settlements are mostly located on the fringes of forests where they forage for food such as small animals and fruits and their lifestyles are heavily influenced by their natural environment and ancestral practices.
They may have been Peninsular Malaysia’s original inhabitants but the grim reality is that even after 61 years of independence, not much has changed for the Orang Asli in terms of their educational and socio- economic development.
Education-wise, only 987 Orang Asli have so far studied up to tertiary-level at local universities while 87 of them have had the opportunity to further their education overseas.
To date, only six Orang Asli have obtained a PhD. Captive mindset One of the impediments to the advancement of the indigenous people is their attitude to life.
As senior Universiti Putra Malaysia lecturer Dr Mohd Roslan Rosnon puts it, they are caught in a ‘captive mindset’ that restrains them from plucking up the courage to change.
Their captive mindset is akin to a towering wall that has to be demolished in order for the Orang Asli to be wrested from their marginalised status and be thrust into the mainstream where they can benefit from the progress enjoyed by other communities.
Mohd Roslan, who is attached to the Department of Social Sciences and Development in the Faculty of Human Ecology, said a change in their attitude or mindset did not equate with a rejection of the customs and traditions that they practise; instead, it meant getting adjusted to the current socio- economic situation so that they too can savour the fruits of development.
“This will help to erase the common perception that the Orang Asli are backward and not in favour of development,” he told Bernama, recently.
Mohd Roslan, who has carried out comparative studies between the Orang Asli and Australia’s indigenous communities, said the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people down under dared to change and worked hard to assimilate into mainstream society.
“There are a lot of things that can be learnt from the success of Australia’s indigenous peoples who are now capable of competing with other mainstream communities on the social, economic and education fronts,” he said, adding that they were also well aware that they have to fight for their rights to ensure a level playing field for them alongside other Australian citizens.
“They were united in fighting for their rights and they did it without the help of others. This fervour is lacking in our Orang Asli communities, which remain fragmented in terms of ethnicity.”
He said there was a need to nurture a movement to unify and mobilise the Orang Asli to enable them to pursue their rights collectively as one unified force regardless of their ethnic origins.
Dependency Lamenting about the dependency culture that the Orang Asli were hooked to, Mohd Roslan said having become accustomed to the assistance rendered to them by the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA), they were not able to stand on their own feet.
While infrastructure development as well as educational, economic and welfare aid have helped the indigenous communities to enjoy a better quality of life, over-pampering them may not serve their interests in the long run.
“( It’s unfortunate that) policies and programmes implemented by the government nurture feelings of dependency rather than the need to be self-reliant.
“This has led to their social, economic and moral resilience remaining weak, mainly due to their tendency to feel that they need to be helped,” said Mohd Roslan.
Their ‘ dependent on others’ nature also make them easy prey to outsiders who exploit them, he said, adding that the Orang Asli also enjoyed spending whatever money they had on hedonistic pursuits.
According to Mohd Roslan, a study he and a team of UPM researchers carried out in 2012 on the Orang Asli’s spending habits – covering 1,477 respondents – showed that 17 per cent of them spent their money on betting on four- digit numbers.
Another 15.6 per cent squandered their money on alcoholic drinks; 3.5 per cent on gambling; and 0.1 per cent on drugs.
“It (the Orang Asli’s spending habits) can have adverse effects on their lives. And, it will also hamper efforts to bring them forward,” he said.
Be more self-reliant Senator Isa Ab Hamid, who represents the Orang Asli in the Dewan Negara, agreed that they should wean themselves off their dependency on government aid and subsidies and learn to stand on their own feet.
Isa, who is a Proto-Malay from the Kuala ethnic group, found that only a small number of Orang Asli were self- sufficient and did not require aid.
He said the time has come for the government to target its assistance only at the hardcore poor Orang Asli groups who live in the interiors of Kelantan, Perak and Pahang.
“It’s obvious that (many) Orang Asli are taking advantage of the government and expecting (all kinds of) aid when, in reality, they have the capability to earn a living and take care of their families,” he added.
Viewing education and entrepreneurial skills as two powerful tools that can liberate the Orang Asli from the ‘dependency’ mentality, Isa said this has been proven in Kampung Baru in Kuala Benut in Pontian, Johor, which is home to 200 people from the Kuala Orang Asli ethnic group.
“Awareness on the importance of education has created a generation of educated people (in this village). Not only that, their entrepreneurial spirit has helped them to emerge from poverty,” he said.
Kampung Baru boasts 20 university graduates and it also has not less than 20 entrepreneurs who earn about RM5,000 a month.
Isa also said that mainstream societies played an important role in removing the prejudice against the Orang Asli and supporting them in their efforts to change their ways.
“Although more than half a century has gone by since our country attained independence, there’s still discrimination against the Orang Asli due to their skin colour, hair and belief systems, and issues affecting them are not given enough attention.
“However, they (Orang Asli) will be able to transform themselves when they change their mindsets through education...this is the real ‘ merdeka’ (freedom) we want to see among the Orang Asli,” he added. — Bernama