The Department of Orang Asli Development (; Jawi: ), abbreviated JAKOA, is the

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n government agency entrusted to oversee the affairs of the

Orang Asli The Orang Asli are a Homogeneity and heterogeneity, heterogeneous Indigenous peoples, indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted f ...

. This body is under the Malaysian Ministry of Rural and Regional Development and was first set up in 1954.

History

During the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, was a guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war fought in Federation of Malaya, Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Arm ...

of 1948 to 1960, the Orang Asli became a vital component of national security, as with their help, the Malayan army was able to defeat the communist insurgents. Two administrative initiatives were introduced to highlight the importance of Orang Asli as well to protect its identity. The initiatives were the establishment of the Department of Aborigines in 1950 and the enactment of the Aboriginal Peoples Ordinance in 1954. After independence in 1957, the development of Orang Asli become the prime objective of the government, where the government adopted a policy in 1961 to integrate the Orang Asli into the wider Malaysian society. Among the stated objectives of the department are to eradicate poverty among the

, improving their health, promoting education, and improving their general livelihood. There is a high incidence of poverty among the Orang Asli. In 1997, 80% of all Orang Asli lived below the poverty line. This ratio is extremely high compared to the national poverty rate of 8.5% at that time. The Orang Asli are theoretically classified as Bumiputras, a status signifying indigeneity to Malaysia which carries certain social, economic, and political rights, along with the Malays and the natives of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

and

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

. However, this status is generally not mentioned in the constitution. Some legislations which concerns Orang Asli are the National Land Code 1965, Land Conservation Act 1960, Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, National Parks Act 1980, and most importantly the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954. The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 provides for the setting up and establishment of the Orang Asli Reserve Land. However, the Act also includes the power accorded to the Director-General of the JHEOA to order Orang Asli out of such reserved land at its discretion and awards compensation to affected people, also at its discretion. A landmark case on this matter is in the 2002 case of Sagong bin Tasi & Ors v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor. The case was concerned with the state using its powers conferred under the 1954 Act to evict Orang Asli from gazetted Orang Asli Reserve Land. The High Court ruled in favour of Sagong Tasi, who represented the Orang Asli, and this decision was upheld by the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

. On 1 May 2018, Ajis Sitin from the Semai tribe, became the first Orang Asli to be appointed Director-General. He was replaced a year later by former Universiti Malaya anthropologist Juli Edo. Juli spoke out against attempts to convert the Orang Asli, particularly by the Islamist PAS government in Kelantan. He was also vocal about the need to defend Orang Asli ancestral lands against land grab. On 14 September 2021, Sapiah Mohd Nor, the sister of Member of Parliament (MP) for Cameron Highlands Ramli Mohd Nor became the first

woman appointed as JAKOA Director-General. She was formerly Chief of Enforcement Management in the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP). Sapiah and Ramli are also related to Ajis Sitin who was since been appointed to the

Dewan Negara The Dewan Negara (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the State legislative assemblies of Malaysia, state legislative assemblies, with two senators for ea ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Government agencies established in 1954 1954 establishments in Malaya Indigenous affairs ministries Federal ministries, departments and agencies of Malaysia Ministry of Rural Development (Malaysia)