Designing a socio-development index framework for the Orang Asli Community using the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Syaaibah Zulkipli, Mohd Nuri Al-Amin Endut, Muhammad Ridhuan Tony Lim Abdullah, Mohd Ikhwan Izzat Zulkefli, Farrah Ilyani Che Jamaludin

Abstract


Despite many development programmes introduced since Malaysia’s independence in 1957, the Orang Asli community remains relatively marginalised in key areas such as land ownership, education, healthcare, and income. Existing national development indicators, particularly income-based measures, do not fully reflect the specific needs and priorities of Indigenous communities. This study addresses this gap by developing a structured socio-development index for the Orang Asli. The study uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method that applies expert judgment to compare indicators in pairs and assign relative importance weights in a systematic way. Fourteen experts participated in identifying and prioritising socio-development indicators through pairwise comparisons. The final index consists of nine main indicators and thirty-two sub-indicators. The results show that land recognition is the most important indicator, followed by healthcare, policy and legislation, educational achievement, economic empowerment, infrastructure, leadership empowerment, cultural heritage, and environmental sustainability. These results indicate that Orang Asli development priorities are mainly focused on structural rights and access to basic services rather than income alone. The main contribution of this study is the development of a validated and prioritised Indigenous socio-development index. Unlike conventional development indices, this index reflects the actual hierarchy of needs based on AHP-derived weights. It provides a practical tool for policymakers and researchers to measure, monitor, and improve Orang Asli socio-development in a more targeted and context-specific way.

 

Keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), index framework, multi-criteria decision-making, Orang Asli, socio-development


Keywords


Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), index framework, multi-criteria decision-making, Orang Asli, socio-development

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References


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