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Country Facts
| Capital: | Kuala Lumpur | Area: | 329,847 sq. km | | Population: | 26.8 million | | Indigenous population: | Indigenous peoples account for around 12% of the total population but,
whereas the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli account for only 0.7% of
the population, indigenous groups represent around 50% in Sarawak and
60% in Sabah. | | Government type: | Constitutional monarchy | Legal recognition of
indigenous peoples: | Article 161(A) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia 1957 provides a
special position for natives of the states of Sabah and Sarawak. It spells
out what “native” means and which groups are considered native. It also
outlines the conditions for the alienation of lands and the preferential
treatment of natives by the State. Besides having a special section in the
Federal Constitution, Sabah and Sarawak also have state laws
specifically on indigenous peoples.
For the Orang Asli on Peninsular Malaysia, the Aboriginal Peoples Act
(1954, 1974) lays down certain ground rules for the treatment,
government and administration of the Orang Asli and their land. | | Language: | The official language is Bahasa Melayu. However, the Constitution
guarantees the freedom to learn and use other languages, except for
official purposes. The Education Act was adopted in 1996 and, under
this law, the right to learn one’s mother tongue or indigenous language
merely exists at the behest of the minister and not as a right as stated in
the 1957 Education Ordinance. | | GDP per capita: | US$12,000 (2005 est.) | Population below
poverty line: | 8% (1998 est.). But while the national poverty level dropped markedly
to 6.5% in 2004, more than three-quarters (76.5 per cent) of the Orang
Asli still live below the poverty line. | | Life expectancy: | Male: 69.8 years; female: 75.38 years (2006 est.) | | Health: | Despite improvements in the health status of the rural population,
including indigenous peoples, reports show that the health status of e.g.
the Orang Asli is poor compared to others in West Malaysia.
Tuberculosis, poor nutrition, anaemia and intestinal worms are some of
the known problems. | | Education: | Only primary education in Malaysia is mandated by law but more and
more indigenous children get a higher education, especially in Sabah and
Sarawak. However, indigenous children are still disadvantaged
compared to the general population. For example, for every 1,000
Orang Asli children entering Standard One, only six will go on to Form
Five. | | Key sectors: | Malaysia, a middle-income country, transformed itself from 1971 through
the late 1990s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-
sector economy. Key sectors include electronic equipment, oil and gas,
wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals and
agriculture processing. |
Sources: various sources including Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), CIA World Fact Book, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation (AIPP) |
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