Cry out for justice, Felda settlers told

JEMPOL: Settlers will be in debt to the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) for generations unless it changes the way it finances the replanting of crops, according to PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali.

The way Syed Husin sees it, the current “loop system of re-seeding” is outrageously unfair: a settler pays a monthly amount to the re-seeding fund, but when the time comes for re-seeding his plot, Felda charges him again for the costs.

"I urge Felda settlers to raise their voices and pressure the authority for justice,” he said last weekend at the launching of seven PKR branches at Felda Palong 9, which is in the Jempol area.

There was a menacing police presence at the event and the scholar-politician questioned their purpose.

Jempol police chief Supt Mohd Sabri Muhamad led about 50 policemen of various ranks in the show of force.

Ibrahim Yusof, the information chief for Negri Sembilan PKR, said many Felda settlers who wanted to attend the function turned back when they saw policemen checking MyKads and recording settlers’ personal particulars in a book.

"The presence of such a large number of policemen is to create fear among the Felda settlers and to prevent them from attending today’s function,” Syed Husin said to roars of agreement among the 100-odd settlers present.

"If not for them, I'm sure the crowd would have been much larger.”

How the loop system works

According to Syed Husin, this is how the loop system works: When a Felda settler starts producing rubber or palm fruits, Felda starts making monthly deductions from his income for the re-seeding fund, for fertilisers and weed killers, and for various other costs.

Usually a rubber tree or oil palm gives it yields for 20 years. After that, the re-seeding begins.

"What happens here is that Felda bears the entire cost of re-seeding and then comes up with a list of debts that the settler must settle once the new crop starts producing.”

Syed Husin challenged the deputy minister in charge of Felda, Ahmad Maslan, to explain why he declared in Parliament recently that the authority had spent RM2 billion for re-seeding when the cost was actually borne by the settlers.

He promised his audience that Pakatan Rakyat, if it were to achieve federal power, would ensure justice to Felda settlers.

"We will make sure the Felda settlers are debt-free,” he said.