Indigenous People

Gamuda respects the rights of Indigenous groups, including those of Malaysia's Orang Asal, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Prioritising mutual respect and trust, we keep these communities informed and seek their consent for relevant decisions. Acknowledging their connection to their ecosystems, we collaborate with them for sustainable resource management.

Community Engagement and Supporting Livelihoods

Employment and
sustainable income

Two Orang Asli community members have been employed as rangers, and more will be hired and trained as rangers, chefs, and for cultural workshops. Collaborations with Asli Co. and Binturong Alam Ventures aim to develop community skills and provide sustainable income sources.

GParks Rangers
school series

Extracurricular environmental and conservation learning initiatives are being implemented for public/private schools. A potential long-term partnership with Sekolah Orang Asli Bukit Cheeding is being explored to empower Orang Asli students to become ambassador rangers at the Wetlands Arboretum Centre.

Knowledge transfer
and cultural showcase

In collaboration with the Global Environment Centre and Sahabat Hutan Gambut, we support the Orang Asli community's socioeconomic upliftment. We facilitate handicraft sales at the Wetlands Arboretum Centre, provide RM6,000 monthly for production, and host cultural activities. Additionally, we employ Indigenous community members, appreciating their unique knowledge.

Healthcare

In 2023, we offered essential healthcare services to the Orang Asli communities, with a particular focus on children and encouraging self-care. We assisted 62 villagers, with 90 percent of them receiving medication based on their health assessments. We conducted outreach sessions and visits every three to six months to raise awareness among the Orang Asli about health issues, including proper wound care, maintaining a healthy diet to prevent diabetes and hypertension, and practicing good dental hygiene.

Education

The Strengths-Based Education (SBE) programme is developed to empower Orang Asli students and out-of-school youth. The programme focuses on knowledge, leadership, and livelihood capabilities. The SBE Toolkit is used in Community Learning Centres (CLCs) to provide inclusive, high-quality learning for learners aged 5 to 17. We have partnered with three award-winning NGOs to create an ecosystem that reduces barriers for the Orang Asli communities. Since January 2023, we have started teacher training and pilot testing of the Toolkit's modules in CLCs. Additionally, we offer scholarships to deserving Indigenous students with environmental stewardship goals.

Stories from the Orang Asli Communities

We launched "Stories from the Orang Asli Communities" in August 2023. This publication features 11 stories told by 22 storytellers and illustrated by three Orang Asli artists from five sub-ethnic groups. The storybooks, available in Bahasa Malaysia and English, target readers aged 7 to 15 years old. They aim to preserve the oral traditions and indigenous wisdom of the Orang Asli communities. These storybooks are integrated into our SBE Toolkit and will be supplemented with educational resources. We plan to publish new storybooks annually, representing different Orang Asli sub-ethnic groups.

Honouring Heritage: Gamuda's Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia

Gamuda Australia is committed to reconciliation with the Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The company has developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to guide its work in this area. The RAP focuses on building relationships, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and employment, and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. Gamuda Australia has made significant progress on its RAP commitments in recent years, including investing over AUD20 million in Aboriginal businesses and increasing its Aboriginal workforce to 3.9%. The company has also established relationships with local community traditional owner groups and collaborated with them on a variety of initiatives.

Other initiatives include:

Aboriginal Smoking ceremony held in August 2023 in conjunction with the TBM launch, symbolising our wishes for safe passage and the warding off of negative spirits.

Became a member of Supply Nation since November 2022, the key body for Aboriginal businesses. This affiliation allows us to establish connections with Aboriginal businesses nationwide and actively promote opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Celebrated NAIDOC (National Aborigines’ and Islanders’ Day Observance Committee) week across all sites and distributed Aboriginal-designed shirts to our Sydney Metro West – Western Tunnelling Package site employees as a gesture of respect and recognition to their contribution.

Celebrated National Reconciliation Week across all our Gamuda Australia offices, with a special event at Gamuda Corporate featuring a lunch gathering. An honorary guest speaker from the aboriginal community shared insights about the positive impact of reconciliation with Aboriginal communities and the enduring effects of our contributions, including our engagement with Aboriginal businesses and employment opportunities.

Trade Union – Vietnam

Vietnam’s trade union system led by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) is mandated by government to protect workers’ rights.

Trade Union – Australia

The industrial gains are many: decades of wage increases through the award system and campaigns in the field, safer workplaces, greater equality for women, improvements in working hours, entitlements to paid holidays and better employment conditions, and the establishment of a universal superannuation system.

Trade Union – Vietnam

Vietnam’s trade union system led by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) is mandated by government to protect workers’ rights.

Trade Union – Australia

Sustainable Design

Driving Innovation with Next-Gen Digital Industrialised Building System (IBS)

We are a leader in designing and using the latest technology and tools across all of our infrastructure and development projects.

Click here for more information.

Case Study: MRT Putrajaya Line

Effective management of large-scale projects involves initiatives for climate adaptation, innovative approaches, geotechnical capabilities, and safety and health. By integrating these elements, projects can be successfully managed, delivering sustainable solutions.

Click here for more information.

- Gamuda Cove - Low Carbon City 2030 Challenge With 5-Diamonds Recognition, Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (MGTC)
- Gamuda Gardens - Low Carbon City 2030 Challenge With 4-Diamonds Recognition
- twentyfive7 - Low Carbon City Challenge With 3-Diamonds Recognition
- Penang South Island (PSI) - Low Carbon City 2022 Diamond Award for Sustainable Design
- ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems
- ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems
- ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
- Gamuda Cove Herons
- Gamuda Cove Waterlily
- The Robertson
- HighPark Suites
- Gamuda Garden Monarc
- Gamuda Garden Illaria
- Gamuda Cove Office Building
- Sydney Metro West: Western Tunnelling Package (SMW:WTP)
- Coffs Harbour Bypass (CHB)
- M1 Extension to Raymond Terrace: Black Hill to Tomago (M1: South)
All 3 projects are in-progress of being ISCA certified
MRT 2 Putrajaya Line
- Wetlands Arboretum Centre, Gamuda Cove
- Artisan Park (Vietnam)
- Gem Residences (Singapore)
- Gali Batu Multi-Storey Bus Depot (Singapore)
Gamuda Land - Elysian
Winchester House (aiming for the highest BREEAM Green rating – in progress)
Excellent Honour in the construction of Guantang Marine Bridge, Taiwan
Sword of Honour Award British Safety Council, 2022
Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards 2022, Top Workplaces in Asia
UN Women WEPs Award 2022, Gender Inclusive Workplace - Malaysia (Winner)
Malaysia Green Building Council (Malaysia GBC) 2022 - Best New Green & Sustainable Township (Leadership in Sustainable Design & Performance) for Gamuda Gardens
- Resort Category (World Silver Winner) for Batu Patong Eco Village, 2022
- Environmental Restoration Category for Gamuda Land - Gamuda Gardens, 2022
- Master Plan Category (World Gold Award) for Gamuda City, 2020
- Digital Engineering and Digital Industrial Construction Category for Gamuda Engineering
- Information Management - Heavy Civil Construction Category for MMC Gamuda
Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (MGTC) 2022 - Low Carbon City 2030 Challenge with 5-Diamond Recognition for Gamuda Cove
BSI Kitemark™ for Design, Construction and Commissioning, Gamuda Engineering

ESG Certification

ISO 9001:2015 Quality
Management Systems

ISO 14001: 2015 Environmental
Management Systems

ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

IS Rating Scheme
(Australia)

Sustainable
INFRASTAR

Malayian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST)

Green Building Index
(GBI)

Low Carbon Cities Framework
(LCCF)

EDGE Net Zero
Carbon Certification

LOTUS Certification
(Vietnam)

Orang Asli Employment

To date, we have included 37 Orang Asli within our workforce.
Through Wild Tree Seed Bank Project, we purchase wild tree seedlings from the Orang Asli and use their expertise to nurture these seedlings in a nursery before the trees are replanted elsewhere.
Wild Tree Seed Bank Project has benefitted 21 Orang Asli families. It has since been expanded to six more villages encompassing 39 families. At the moment, we have collected a total of 2,300 saplings of 69 local tree species.
We target to create at least 200 employment opportunities at the arboretum and nurseries for Orang Asli.

Orang Asli Education

165 tablets were donated via the GL Cares programme.
Gamuda in collaboration with ACE Education had provided tuition for 136 students from Sekolah Kebangsaan (Asli) Bukit Cheding and Sekolah Kebangsaan Asli Bukit Kemandol. Of the total, 34 of them are students with special needs.
We aim to expand the educational programme to include personal enrichment skills such as singing, arts and crafts, and public speaking to help enhance the student's quality of life.