Malaysia’s Dominant Approach to Furthering the Development of the Orang Asli Laut

This article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the various development approaches employed by government agencies in Malaysia in relation to the Orang Asli/indigenous populations. The research utilised a quantitative approach, employing questionnaires for data collection. The study’s sample comprises 390 participants who were chosen through the convenience sampling technique. The participants in this study belong to the following three tribes of the Orang Asli Laut community: the Orang Kuala, the Orang Seletar and the Mah Meri. The findings indicate that government agencies persist in considering the traditional identities of various Orang Asli groups during the implementation of development strategies. Although there is no universally adopted prevailing development approach, it has been noted that the top-down technique is frequently utilised. Therefore, this study suggests the incorporation of an indigenous worldview framework and community mapping as crucial instruments to provide predevelopment data to all stakeholders involved in the progress of Orang Asli communities throughout Malaysia.