The Impact of Income Increment Program toward Socioeconomic Changes of Orang Asli in Perak, Malaysia

Abstract

The Income Increment Program (IIP) is one of the programs introduced to the Orang Asli in 2014 to reduce hardcore poverty rates among indigenous community in Malaysia. This study aims to identify the participation of Orang Asli in the IIP and examine the impact of IIP toward socioeconomic changes. This study involved 110 Orang Asli who participated in the IIP in the state of Perak, Malaysia. The study showed that majority of the respondents involved in agriculture and farming as their main income, while collecting forest produce and rubber tapping as part-time jobs. Among the IIP projects undertaken in the state of Perak are vegetables, calamansi and banana plantations, as well as cattle farming, tilapia farming and stingless bee farming. The findings showed that there was an increment of the income among respondents although majority of them earned less than RM1000 per month. Findings also revealed that the highest impact of IIP is the empowerment in decision making, followed by changes in lifestyle, economic aspects and ownership. Overall, the level of impact is high in empowerment and changes in lifestyle, while moderate in other aspects discussed. Suggested recommendations were discussed for future improvement of IIP.