What are the realities facing Orang Asli communities in Malaysia today? It’s a question that touches on everything from education and healthcare to identity, representation, and the way development is carried out on the ground. This is Part One of a two-part special based on the policy brief “Orang Asli Advancement and the Right to Land, Territories and Resources,” published by the Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC). We speak to Dr Colin Nicholas, Founder and Coordinator of the Center for Orang Asli Concerns. about those lived realities, who the Orang Asli are, how policy has shaped their experiences, and why some approaches to development may be falling short.

Listen to Part 2 here.