ASSESSING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MICRO BUSINESS ENTERPRISE OF ORANG ASLI ABORIGINES IN PAHANG, MALAYSIA

The study was carried out to characterize and to evaluate the impact of cultural practices and entrepreneurial skills on micro business development among the Orang Asli aborigines in Pahang, Malaysia. The findings reported were obtained through a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches with 100 aborigines practicing micro business enterprises, Tok Batins (village chiefs), and the government officers and workers of the Department of Aborigines’ Affairs (JHEOA). The results revealed that the Orang Asli aborigines are no longer having superstitious beliefs of pantang-larang (prohibitions) for days, places or bad signs in cultural factors of business dealings. However, all of the aborigines interviewed do not have the business mindset to expand, diversify or take new opportunities and the Orang Asli are very laidback in nature. They are very relaxed and comfortable with what they already have. For the Orang Asli micro enterprises, there is no such thing as the pressure to make profit. The Orang Asli willingly accepted whatever they get from their businesses as providence. They also refused to be displaced from their present settlements and preferred doing business just for the sake of survival. Furthermore, they favoured to deal with the Chinese middlemen instead of dealing directly with end-users. As such, the big challenge is how to train them to be better micro business owners in terms of selling skills and satisfying customers’ needs. Consistent repeated exposure to more methodically organized government programs are required as this study found out that they still have strong desires to improve themselves.