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This article, which looks at Indigenous communities in the multiethnic, multicultural region of Sabah, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, argues that indigeneity is not primordial, but exists in relation to dominant identities as well as other non-dominant, Indigenous groups. Moreover, Indigenous Peoples are not passive recipients of colonial or even postcolonial Othering: their identity is contextualised and contested within majority-minority relations. The article begins with a brief history of the dominant Kadazandusun nationalism in Sabah, in the context of the overarching Bumiputra policy of Malaysia, which privileges constructed Malayness, as background to the discourses and practices of smaller groups of land-based Murut and the sea-oriented 'Bajau', where identity switching is taking place in tandem with environmental justice claims. The land-based communities (Murut) have found leverage in making identity and livelihood claims attached to place (here, state-declared forest reserves that seek to exclude them) in line with the recent global environmental justice focus on participatory conservation rather than the older fortress conservation' model still dominant in state conservation thinking. However, the sea-oriented peoples (Bajau) require other social symbols than land for making their identity claims, in this instance, via claims to 'modern' livelihoods and as managers of marine resources with reference to the newly established Tun Mustapha Park. In Sabah, participatory conservation is being reappropriated by Indigenous Peoples to assert claims about place and /or livelihoods; if bureaucratised, however, this form of conservation might turn out to be less than participatory., Contemporary analyses of Indigenous Peoples in Malaysia (be they majority or minority indigenous) as in other countries, have shown that biases emanating from colonial officials and politically acceptable local ideologues [...]

This thesis examines the social factors influencing the productivity of paddy plantations to the farmers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the level of access to land, irrigation systems and subsidies affect the productivity of farmers. This study shows that the accessibility to land, irrigation systems and subsidies affects the productivity of farmers. In addition, this study explores the percentage of fertilizer usage and labor productivity as well as the emergence of a new trading system named as "broker". The "broker" took a responsibility in managing and dealing with the farmers in providing logistics services. Hence, this study also examines the effect of "brokers" charges in influencing the productivity of paddy plantations to the farmers. The populations in this study that are the farmers were seen as a subject in dealing with the social factors in paddy plantations. Specifically, the farmers in the Reuters of Kayang, Perlis were selected as the sample size. The data collection of this study is done through qualitative method. Both interviews and observations is the best medium to be used in collecting the data for this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the informal transport sector within the smallholder oil palm economies of Kinabatangan and Lahad Datu areas of eastern Sabah by looking at the metaphoric border that is constructed between licit and illegal activities that take place on roads. It describes the work of two groups of drivers, namely, those who are themselves smallholders who provide a crucial service to the community in getting their fresh fruit bunches to mills on time; and the piret (pirate) taxis who transport passengers including foreign nationals, some of whom are illegal workers. Many have been driving for some time, thereby challenging the notion about off-farm work as providing a temporary safety net to smallholders. Drivers whose permits may be current may have used illegal means (such as meminggir – logging without licence), to accumulate the initial funds for acquiring their vehicles and necessary permits. Moreover, their clients are unconcerned about their ‘illegal’ status. Consequently, this paper maintains that there is no agreed-upon norms about legality/illegality, and law enforcement being uneven, the zone in which drivers operate is a fluid one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the action process of Bumiputras and whether or not it works for the natives of Sarawak in East Malaysia. Investigation into the social, political and economic processes; Discussion on practice of written policy; Information on job sustainability; Details on the rights of citizens; Examination into the political aspects of Sarawak.