2.3.5 Seeking Self-Determination For this reason, it is understandable that the Orang Asli should want to reassert their right to self-determination. That is, they want to regain their right to control their lives and their lands, and to be able to negotiate with governments as equals for these and other rights as noted in Section 2.3.2 above. At first glance, one may say that what the Orang Asli are asking for is unrealistic and politically naive. But if one were to consider that these were the same demands that the indigenous Malays once made—and achieved— it becomes not only realizable but also, hopefully, appreciated. After all, the justification for making those same claims are also the same: prior presence or indigenity. In the context of the above, the next two sections will discuss two aspects of Orang Asli self-determination that the Orang Asli hold equally dear today: the right to culture and identity, and the right to security. 2.4 RIGHT TO CULTURE AND IDENTITY Another problem facing Orang Asli today is that their unique culture and identity are in serious risk of being subsumed or compromised. This is not to suggest that the Orang Asli are being denied the right to practise their culture, or that they are unable to stake claims on their identity. Rather, the assertion is that current policies, programmes and politics work subtly to erode Orang Asli culture and identity whether intentionally or unintentionally. ORANG ASLI – RIGHTS, PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS 73