2.4.1 Modernization, Integration and Orang Asli Identity The development paradigm adopted by the Malaysian government in its treatment of the Orang Asli remains largely of the modernization model. Here, the overriding prescription for developing the Orang Asli lies in their ‘cultural transformation’ to a politically-defined ‘mainstream’. Social change is thus perceived as a natural and uniform process—which in fact is a process of de-culturation—with ‘modernization’ as its final goal. Implicit in this model is the perception of the state that the lifestyles of the Orang Asli, and the attachment they have to their traditional territories, are archaic impediments to the progress of modernization. The antagonism is further intensified because the nation state perceives that it cannot modernize effectively if it were to tolerate indigenous minority cultures in its midst. The fear of not being able to exploit the resources that lie within the territories of the Orang Asli, if access to them is impeded by them, is also of concern to the state. Invariably, dispossession of the Orang Asli from their traditional homelands becomes a project of the state, often under the guise of the altruistic goal of incorporation or assimilation into the national economy and dominant culture. Arguments of ‘primitiveness’ vs. ‘development’ and ‘traditional society’ vs. ‘progress’, further serve to justify the exploitation of natural resources on Orang Asli territories and even their removal from those territories. And because Orang Asli communities derive their history, their culture and their identity from their specific ecological niche, any attempt to erode this traditional territory or to move them out of their homelands is a threat not only to their economic stability and self-reliance but also to their cultural identity. Thus while the government may be encouraging the development of Orang Asli culture and crafts, “as a tourist attraction” (JHEOA Programme Summary, Objective No. 7), its programmes and policies of resettlement, integration, and non-recognition of Orang Asli rights to their traditional 74 ORANG ASLI – RIGHTS, PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS