Felda Plantation is illegal, insists ANAK
(Harakah Daily) – KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 10: National Association of Felda’s Settlers’ Children (ANAK) said Felda Plantation was an illegal organisation as it violated the Group Settlement Act 1960 (GSA) which stated that land ownership could only be transferred to individuals or cooperatives.
The group’s chairman Mazlan Aliman (right) was responding to a statement by deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Ahmad Maslan, who claimed that Felda Plantation did not come under the GSA.
Mazlan however said such a statament contradicted the government’s initial objective to restructure society and eradicate poverty, and said the Federal government cheated and betrayed the state government by establishing settlements without settlers.
Mazlan had earlier charged that Felda Plantations, which manages oil palm plantations opened under the federal scheme, had unlawfully taken over 367,710 hectares of land nationwide that were meant to go straight to settlers.
“The scheme which was introduced by [former PM] Dr Mahathir in 1992, contradicts the intention of the late Tun Razak when he presented the GSA, which was designed to provide guidance and consistency to all the states in the country to achieve the government’s intention to lift the standard of living of the rural population.
“367,710 hectares of Felda Plantation land came from the state government. If it is not under GSA, then under what type of scheme was this given?” he asked at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
‘PR states could lead the way’
Saying land matters came state jurisdiction, he said the state government would give away such big area of land to the federal government through Felda for the purpose to help landless people own land.
Mazlan revealed that lands had been forcibly taken for Felda Plantation from the state government.
