Some Orang Asli Still Think Najib Is PM: Representations and Self-Representations of the Orang Asli in the Cameron Highlands By-election

Abstract

The Orang Asli are an indigenous population native to peninsular Malaysia. Like many other indigenous groups around the world, their indigeneity is recognised yet they continue to be marginalised by the state and society. While their presence in local media and public discourse is usually low and sporadic in nature, this briefly changed in early 2019 when a by-election was called for Cameron Highlands, the parliamentary seat with the highest population of Orang Asli voters. This provided a rare opportunity to examine how the Orang Asli community and their issues were addressed by political parties wishing to be seen as being attentive to their needs. Using digital ethnography and a critical discourse analysis, our study examines and compares the discursive spaces of the Malaysian online news media and self-managed forums of the Orang Asli community. Our analysis shows that both spaces exist plurally with little overlap—mainstream media continued to address and discuss the Orang Asli community as the stereotypical “Other” in the local context, with limited agency, authority and decision-making power, while in their community forums, the Orang Asli engaged in their own critical discussions as active political actors, emphasising their own community’s values and its place within broader Malaysian society.KeywordsOrang AsliElectionsIndigenous online communitiesDigital ethnographyMalaysia