THE former Barisan Nasional government had plans to drive out all Felda settlers from their plantations because of burgeoning debts and then turn the scheme into a private plantation, said a third-generation settler.

Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir, whose grandparents joined Felda’s first scheme in Lurah Bilut, said this is why BN saddled the settlers with unbearably high debts.

“The agenda is to make your lives even more difficult, so as to chase you all out. This way, they could easily bring in foreigners to live and work in the schemes at a lower cost,” said Ashraf, who is also a Pakatan Harapan youth leader.

“The result is that in 10 to 12 years, settlers will leave and replaced with foreign labour,” he said last night during a Pakatan Harapan ceramah for the coming Cameron Highlands by-election.

PH is hoping to gain the support of voters in three Felda settlements within the constituency, who are shaping out to be a crucial vote bank in Saturday’s by-election.

There are about 2,800 voters in Felda Sg Koyan 1, 2 and 3 in the Jelai state constituency, which is part of Cameron Highlands.

Ashraf said his 80-year-old grandmother had to take on debts incurred by Felda’s replanting scheme.

“They give out new loans to replant old trees, while waiting for the trees to mature, settlers are forced to take a living allowance of RM1,000 per month.”

But instead of waiting about three years, some settlers have to wait for more than four years for their holdings to be replanted.

“They only replant after four years. Can you imagine an 80-year-old woman with debts of up to RM40,000? This is an agenda to make you all suffer even more.”

It is important to point this out to settlers, to illustrate the enormity of Felda’s mismanagement under BN, he said.

“Many of you complain that the new government should stop blaming the old one and start solving its problems. But it is important to remember who created these problems in the first place.” – January 22, 2019.