DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF SARAWAK, SABAH AND PENINSULAR MALAYSIA
We, Indigenous Peoples from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, assert that we have our own identity, way of life, culture, customs, languages, beliefs, traditions and traditional knowledge that we practise on our traditional lands.
Realizing that our rights, with time, will be lost, we affirm:
1.Our right to our traditional lands, which have been passed down by our ancestors to us, for our use and that of our children;
2.Our right to educate our children in our history, culture, language, beliefs and traditional knowledge;
3.Our right to use and develop our own languages;
4.Our right to practise and develop our customs and culture such as our arts and crafts, and our dances;
5.Our right to determine and control the system of justice in our communities in accordance with our traditions;
6.Our right to practise and develop our traditional beliefs;
7.Our right to practise and control our traditional way of life as in our practice of traditional agriculture, of cooperation and of community living;
8.Our right to receive just development as we determine it, such as access to educational opportunities, basic amenities and health services; and
9.Our right to be members of, and to establish, our own associations as well as to affiliate ourselves with other organisations.
Concerned that our rights are being lost in the face of uncontrolled and indiscriminate logging, large land schemes, development projects that do not benefit us such as dams, external values that conflict with our traditions, laws which restrict our freedom (such as the Internal Security Act, the Police Act and the Aboriginal Peoples Act), encroachment by outsiders into our lands, and the acquisition of our lands by the forest department,
1.We demand that:
For Sarawak, Sections 3, 5 and 209(1) of the Sarawak Land Code 1958 and Section 90(b) of the Forest Ordinance 1953 be abolished;
For Sabah, Section 28 of the Land Ordinance 1930 and Sections 4 and 5 of the Land Acquisition Act be reviewed;
For Peninsular Malaysia, the Aboriginal Peoples Act (134 of 1954, 1974) be amended and the National Land Code 1974 be amended to ensure the rights of Orang Asli to their land;
The right to control and use our land (and all its resources) be recognised; and
The relevant authorities stop all logging activities and the implementation of land schemes and development projects in our areas that do not benefit us.
2.We wish to retain the freedom to educate our children on our history, cultures, languages, beliefs and traditional knowledge.
3.We demand all indigenous languages not taught in schools be included in the curriculum to the highest level.
4.We demand the freedom to determine and control the system of justice in our communities in accordance with our traditions.
5.We demand equal rights to enjoy the benefits of just development as determined by us, in areas such as education opportunities, scholarships, basic amenities and health services
6.We demand the freedom to be members of, and to establish, our own associations as well as to affiliate ourselves with other organisations.
In order to secure and retain our identity, way of life, cultures, customs, languages, beliefs, traditions and traditional knowledge, we will defend our cultures and our rights.
Participants of the National Indigenous People's Forum Sibu, Sarawak 30 April 1993
