Stakeholders' Activisms: Indigenous Peoples' of Sarawak Resistance against the State Government and Corporations

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to problematise the notions of both “corporate social responsibility” and “stakeholder theory”. In particular, it seeks to challenge the promises it claims to hold regarding social responsibility and community engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a discussion of indigenous stakeholders’ activism in Sarawak, Malaysia.FindingsIt is shown that despite the rhetoric of corporate social responsibility and stakeholderism, there is a clear failure of the state government and corporations to actively involve local affected communities. In so doing, both the state and corporations have rendered the local indigenous peoples, a significant and legitimate stakeholder, powerless, redundant and inevitably compromised both the development and management process. The paper also suggests that community engagement can be problematic for indigenous peoples and for it and stakeholderism to be efficacious, they need to involve the discourse of rights and activism within Sarawak and Malaysia.Originality/valueThe paper offers insight into the indigenous peoples at Sarawak resistance against the state Government and corporations, Focusing on stakeholder activism.