Development Approaches for the Orang Asli Laut As An Indicator of ‘Leaving No One Behind’?

Abstract

Leaving No One Behind” is an essential concept not only for avoiding the application of double standards to a community, but also for trusting the members of a community to manage themselves and to reach a certain level of empowerment. In the context of the Orang Asli, the typical development approach has been to ignore the people themselves, treating them as an object of development and expecting them to accept the development planned for them by others. This situation has made the Orang Asli passive in their own development, with the result that they have been left behind in terms of being actors in the country’s development. In a more specific context, the Sea Indigenous People (henceforth Orang Asli Laut) have received little attention in scientific discussions. This lack of focus supports the perception that the Orang Asli Laut have been left behind, not only in the research discourse but also in terms of mainstream development.