Autonomy of Indigenous peoples in the Federation of Malaysia: a tale of three institutional settings

Abstract

[EN]Previous research has offered mixed results regarding whether federalism and other mechanisms of multi-level governance (MLG) present advantages or disadvantages for civil society and, in particular, impoverished ethnic minorities. Since self-determination is a key element of the political autonomy of indigenous peoples (IPs), this paper explores under which circumstances different mechanisms of MLG foster the rights of IPs in the Federation of Malaysia from the perspective of indigenous activists. This work relies on face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with indigenous activists, advocates, and stakeholders from different states of the federation, with different levels of self-government and quality of democracy. The main findings suggest that any attempt to evaluate the performance of MLG arrangements in the fulfillment of the rights of IPs should consider the relationship between indigenous organizations and state and local governments—a relationship that depends on the distribution of indigenous populations—and the degree of political accountability in specific territories.