LAHAD DATU: The Barisan Nasional (BN) government has been urged to return Felda Sahabat to its settlers to meet its original objective.

SAPP Assistant Secretary-General and Constituency Liaison Committee Chairman for Tungku, Datu Shuaib bin Datu Mutalib said the lands in Felda Sahabat should be developed with oil palm and the ownership of land given to the settlers in Sahabat Tungku, here.

"The main objective agreed between the State and Federal governments is that the people in Tungku who have no land and poor will be given the chance to be Felda settlers. In fact land titles of the land are to be issued to them after 15 or 20 years residing there as settlers.

"Unfortunately, the objectives did not materialise and the Federal Government did not keep its promises.

"Instead, the Federal Government has handed over Felda to a subsidiary company of Felda Holdings to be listed in Bursa Malaysia.

So who is actually gaining the profit in the buying and selling of the shares?," he asked.

Datu Shuaib said the land acreage of felda Sahabat in Tungku here is 119,000 hectares and its only has 886 settlers with 6.7 hectares each.

In light of this, he questioned where the remaining 110,000 hectares have been channeled.

"In June last year, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan stated that Felda has no intention to take any new settlers.

"Therefore, who actually own the remaining 110,000 hectares if no new settlers are being taken in to develop the Felda land? So, what is the use of RM5 billion loans that was applied by Felda from Employees Provident Fund (EPF)?

"And then a subsidiary of Felda company known as Felda Global Venture Holding listed the lands in Bursa Malaysia," Datu Shuaib said.

He said SAPP has emphasised the need for the second generation to be given the priority as new generation settlers as listed in its land reformation policy that was launched, recently.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012