Sustainable livelihood index and the vulnerability of the aboriginal minority communities in Peninsular Malaysia: A comparative analysis

The sustainability of livelihood enjoyed by aboriginal or indigenous peoples in Malaysia is still less than satisfactory. Hope for them to advance in tandem with other major ethnic groups in the country by 2020 is still vague. This study offered a comparative analysis of the survival of the minority aboriginal communities of Negrito, Senoi and Proto-Malay groups by analysing the environmental, social, economic and cultural pressures that contributed to their vulnerable situations. The underlying assumption of this study was that the community acquisition of financial capital, social capital, cultural capital, physical capital, natural capital, and human capital should strengthen their living condition and increase their wellbeing. However, it was found that the diversity of threats that prevailed in the form of psychological shocks, changing trends and seasonality had rendered a negative impact on the protection and preservation of their lives. To mitigate, government’s policy interventions and local initiatives should be enhanced to help them cope effectively with all kinds of existential threats they were liable to experience.