by Françoise AUBAILE-SALLENAVE
and Serge BAHUCHET

1. PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states, 11 of which are on the Malay Peninsula (Trengannu, Kelantan, Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Pinang, Pahang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Johore). Sabah and Sarawak are respectively north and west of Borneo (see chapter on Borneo).

Total area (peninsula) : 131 598 km²

Population : 14 616 500

Language : Malay

Independence : 1957

Very prosperous economically :

First world producer of natural rubber and palm oil

First world producer of tin ; mines in the states of Perak (Semai territory), Selangor, Negri Sembilan (Temuan territory)

Many processing industries

Choice of presentation : we have been able to present the different ethnic groups living in Peninsular Malaysia in detail because there are relatively few of them, and the available information on them is plentiful.

Important facts

Approximately 70 000 Orang Asli are distributed among 19 tribes, 60% of which live in the mountain forests inland (HOOKER, 1990) ; they present different levels of acculturation, including total assimilation.

Dangers : the pioneer frontiers, the dams and especially the resettlement of these populations entailing irreversible assimilation.

Since World War II, the resettlement schemes are seriously affecting them. The 5th Plan (1986-1990) was to group together 23 000 Orang Asli from the central mountain range and settle them in 5 types of agricultural villages (Government of Malaysia, 1986). We do not know whether this was actually carried out.

The objective of the JHEOA, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, is twofold : settling and integrating these populations.

Faced with a government committed to technical prosperity, an independent organization, POASM (Persuatan Orang Asli Semangjun Malaysia, the Orang Asli Association of Peninsular Malaysia) was set up to defend the interests of the Orang Asli, but unfortunately it has not been very successful in doing so. Another such organization is the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (Pusat Prihatinan Orang Asli).