Orang Asli Semelai: Conflict of Defending Land Ownership Rights

Abstract

This study focuses on the institutional constraints that prevent the Orang Asli (Indigenous People) from defending the ownership rights of their land. The emphasis on an institutional constraint is only focused on the elements of formal provisions such as Orang Asli land law. Analysis based on the use of institutional approach has found that there exist barriers in land ownership of Orang Asli Semelai or the Semelai indigenous people in the research area. Among the factors identified include Act 134 (Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954), Land Acquisition Act 1960, land deprivation, and weaknesses of the law. Constraints in the provision of Act 134 (Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954) were found to have huge implications on their land ownership issue. The inability of the current law to defend the issue of losing land ownership amongst the indigenous people results in several requirements of strategic actions to be carried out. Among the actions proposed are through the method of participatory mapping.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s3p63