Abstract
Although Malaysia has made progress in recognising Indigenous rights, the perspectives of Orang Asli women on feminism and gender equality remain largely absent from legal and academic discourse. This article examines the legal tensions between indigenous customary laws and Malaysia’s constitutional commitment to gender equality, as perceived and experienced by Orang Asli women. The central legal issue explored is whether customary practices that reflect patriarchal norms can withstand constitutional scrutiny under Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, and how these practices align with Malaysia’s obligations under CEDAW and UNDRIP. Using a doctrinal legal methodology, the study systematically examines constitutional provisions, relevant legislation, and judicial interpretations concerning indigenous law and gender rights. A socio-legal component complements this analysis through empirical data collected from 120 questionnaires and 30 semi-structured interviews with Orang Asli women from five selected tribes, providing context to how these legal norms function in practice. This article contributes to legal theory by engaging with legal pluralism and feminist legal thought, revealing how unregulated customary practices can undermine fundamental rights. Thus, it enhances legal studies by highlighting an ethical framework for legislative and judicial reconciliation between constitutional equality and indigenous legal traditions. In a pluralistic legal circumstance, this study advocates on Malaysian legal institutions to acknowledge the changing voices of Indigenous women as catalysts of change.
References
Amat Simin, Mohamad Hafis, Ramle Abdullah, and Asmawi Ibrahim. 2015. “Influence of Local Leadership in Poverty Eradication among the Orang Asli Communities in the State of Terengganu, Malaysia.” Asian Social Science 11 (21). https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v11n21p342.
“Article 153, Federal Constitution of Malaysia." 1957. http://www.commonlii.org/my/legis/const/1957/12.html
Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network (2008). The Department of Orang Asli Affairs, Malaysia—an agency for assimilation. New Delhi: Asian Indigenous & Tribal Peoples Network.
Baharom, Nor Azmi, and Pakhriazad Hassan Zaki. 2020. “Socioeconomic Temiar Community in RPS Kemar, Hulu Perak.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 596 (December): 012072. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/596/1/012072.
Baharun, H. and Ismail. H. 2022. “Between Us and Them: Examining the Indigenous People of Malaysia as Represented in The Mainstream News Media”. Al-Azkiyaa - International Journal of Language and Education 1 (1):22-34. https://doi.org/10.33102/alazkiyaa.v1i1.6.
Bisrat Teklesilassie Yazew. 2024. “Women’s Contributions versus Men’s Patriarchal Status among Afar Pastoralists in the Lower Awash Valley.” Heliyon 10 (14): e34469–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34469.
Dahlum, Sirianne, Carl Henrik Knutsen, and Valeriya Mechkova. 2022. “Women’s Political Empowerment and Economic Growth.” World Development 156 (August): 105822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105822.
Diansyah, Mohammad Wahyu, Azlan Abas, and Zaini Sakawi. 2022. “Exploring the Relevance of Engaging the Orang Asli in Malaysia’s Forest Management.” Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 5 (November). https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.1019994.
Dong, M. M., Midmore, P. and Plotnikova, M. 2022. “Understanding the experiences of Indigenous minorities through the lens of spatial justice: The case of Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia.” Regional Science Policy & Practice 14 (5).
Eagly, Alice H., Mona G. Makhijani, and Bruce G. Klonsky. 1992. “Gender and the Evaluation of Leaders: A Meta-Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 111 (1): 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.111.1.3.
“Federal Constitution (Malaysia) art 8(5)(c)”, 1957. http://www.commonlii.org/my/legis/const/1957/12.html
Fotaki, Marianna, and Alison Pullen. 2023. “Feminist Theories and Activist Practices in Organization Studies.” Organization Studies 45 (4). https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406231209861
Hussain, Faridah, Kemala Alang, Nur Izzati Ariffin, and Marina Ismail. 2023. “Aboriginal Ethnic Group Commonly Known as Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia: Re-Examining the Right to Take Forest Produce.” International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development 12 (3). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v12-i3/19035.
“Indigenous Peoples, Gender, and Natural Resource Management from INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, GENDER, and NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT on JSTOR.” 2025. Jstor.com. https://doi.org/10.2307/resrep15621.5.
“Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA)”. Jadual Taburan Etnik Orang Asli Mengikut Negeri.(2023) https://www.jakoa.gov.my/
Karim, Rafidah Abd, Azurawati Zaidi, Farhani Che, Syaza Kamarudin, and Wan Faridatul. 2023. “Jahai Voices of Malaysia: Exploring Indigenous Women Empowerment and Sustainable Development in the Royal Belum State Park.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 13 (4): 987–98. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i4/16093.
KA CHUN, WONG, and MARLINA JAMAL. 2023. “Intertextual Representation of the Orang Asli in the Malaysian Online News Media: A Critical Discourse Analysis.” International Journal of Language, Literacy and Translation 6 (2): 242–57. https://doi.org/10.36777/ijollt2023.6.2.090.
Karim, R. A., Mustapha, R., & Zainol, N. S. (2022). Women Leadership in Higher Learning Institutions: Malaysia’s Challenging Path to SDG 5. In the DAKAM (Eastern Mediterranean Academic Research Center) Studies in Humanities Conference Proceedings Fall 2022
Karim, R.A.,Mustapha, R., Wahab, N.A., Aliasak, M.H.H., Ghani, N.F.C. & Zainol. N. Z. “Gender Equality and Feminism in Indigenous Society: A Case of Jahai Women in Malaysia”. In The 7th International Conference on Gender Research 7 no. 1 (2024).
Loke, Vivienne P. W., Teckwyn Lim, and Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz. 2020. “Hunting Practices of the Jahai Indigenous Community in Northern Peninsular Malaysia.” Global Ecology and Conservation 21 (March): e00815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00815.
Masron, T., Masami, F., & Ismail, N. “Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia: population, spatial distribution and socio-economic condition”. Journal of Ritsumeikan Social Sciences Humanities 6 ( 2013): 75-115.
Nah, Alice M. 2008. “Recognizing Indigenous Identity in Postcolonial Malaysian Law: Rights and Realities for the Orang Asli (Aborigines) of Peninsular Malaysia.” Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- En Volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia 164 (2-3): 212–37. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134379-90003657.
Niigaaniin, Mamaweswen, and Timothy MacNeill. 2022. “Indigenous Culture and Nature Relatedness: Results from a Collaborative Study.” Environmental Development 44 (September): 100753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2022.100753.
Nordin, Rohaida, Muhamad Sayuti Hassan@Yahya, Vatchira Wong Rui Fern, Melissa Cherley, and Lavernya Bala Subramaniam. 2020. “INDIGENOUS EDUCATION for the ORANG ASLI: LEGAL PERSPECTIVES and BEST PRACTICES.” Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS) 5 (2): 365–83. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol5iss2pp365-383.
OHCHR. (2013). UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, HR/PUB/13/2, August 2013.
Padzil, R and Somiah, V. 2023. “‘Leaderless’ Resistance? An Anatomy of Female Leadership in Orang Asli Grassroots Movements.” 2023. Wacana: Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia 24 (2). https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v24i2.1166.
Parker, Jonathan, Sara Ashencaen Crabtree, M Crabtree Parker, and I Crabtree Parker. 2019. “‘Behaving like a Jakun!’ a Case Study of Conflict, ‘Othering’ and Indigenous Knowledge in the Orang Asli of Tasik Chini,” September.
Patittingi, Farida. 2020. “New Paradigm in Natural Resources Management: Securing Indigenous Peoples Rights.” Hasanuddin Law Review 6 (1): 56. https://doi.org/10.20956/halrev.v6i1.2267.
Rohlinger, D. A., Olsen, A., & Hewitt, L. (2020, July). “Dualing discourse: Democracy, gender equity and discursive politics in rural Morocco”. In Women's Studies International Forum 81, (2020) : 102373). Pergamon.
Shaari, J., Zulkifli, N.B. I., Abu. R., Ibrahim, C.W.I R.C.W., Razab & N.A, Embong, A.M. Orang Asli Knowledge – The Wisdom Inheritance of Indigenous Peoples.., Educational Administration: Theory and Practice 30 no. 5 ( 2024) : 11952-11966
Smith, Sonya G., and Jeanne C. Sinkford. 2022. “Gender Equality in the 21st Century: Overcoming Barriers to Women’s Leadership in Global Health.” Journal of Dental Education 86 (9): 1144–73.
Subramaniam, Yogeswaran. 2015. “Ethnicity, Indigeneity and Indigenous Rights: The ‘Orang Asli’ Experience.” QUT Law Review 15 (1). https://doi.org/10.5204/qutlr.v15i1.562.
Suria Angit (Temiar, and Adrian Jarvis. 2024. “An Indigenous View of Social Justice Leadership in the Malaysian Education System.” Alternative 20 (1): 215–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/11771801241235422.
The Status of Women’s Rights in Malaysia.” n.d. https://www.suhakam.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SUHAKAM-Report-on-The-Status-of-Women-s-Rights-in-Malaysia-2010.pdf.
Tong, Rosemarie. 2022. “Towards a Feminist Global Ethics.” Global Bioethics 33 (1): 14–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/11287462.2021.2011002.
UN Women Commission on the Status of Women. (2020). accessed February 2 2025, https://www.unwomen.org/en/csw
United Nations. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW).https://www.ohchr.org/en/instrumentsmechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women
Widya, Thesya, and Asnani Asnani. 2020. “RADICAL FEMINISM in EKA KURNIAWAN’S NOVEL BEAUTY IS a WOUND.” JOURNAL of LANGUAGE 2 (1): 9–16. https://doi.org/10.30743/jol.v2i1.2477.
Wook, Izawati. 2015. “THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLES ACT 1954 and the RECOGNITION of ORANG ASLI LAND RIGHTS.” UUM Journal of Legal Studies, December. https://doi.org/10.32890/uumjls.6.2015.4587.
Yap, Wai-Sum, Alvin Cengnata, Woei-Yuh Saw, Thuhairah Abdul Rahman, Yik-Ying Teo, Renee Lay-Hong Lim, and Boon-Peng Hoh. 2025. “High-Coverage Whole-Genome Sequencing of a Jakun Individual from the ‘Orang Asli’ Proto-Malay Subtribe from Peninsular Malaysia.” Human Genome Variation 12 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41439-024-00308-6.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Hasanuddin Law Review