WHEN one thinks of Cameron Highlands, it is usually about the cool weather, its famous strawberries, and fruit and vegetable plantations. But not everything is glossy at this hill station, especially for farmers.

Apart from over-development, illegal plantations and landslides, farmers here complained their major concern is being unable to own the land where they farm or being unable to renew temporary operating licences (TOL) for their farms.

Checks with local land officers found that from the 712 square km of land in Cameron Highlands, only 3% of the land – or 3,327ha of it, divided into 2,100 plots – have been issued TOLs.

And there are only 22 land office staff in charge of managing the approval and renewal of the 2,100 TOLs.

Even though the TOLs have to be renewed every year, the process goes back to square one every four years and farmers have to apply for the licence again and the land office will reevaluate the applications.

Another 9% of Cameron Highlands’ land, or 6,175ha of it, have been issued farming grants (geran pertanian), and these grants generally have no renewal issues.

A land office staff member, who requested anonymity, said they have raised the issue with the state government but the department has not received additional manpower.

“We are short-handed, we can only fully utilise these 22 settlement officers,” the officer said.

The officer also said that the land situation in Cameron Highlands was different compared to the rest of Pahang, with the need to prepare annual reports.

“Cameron Highlands is a special case, so we have to hire settlement officers to prepare annual reports.”

When farmers apply for licence renewal, the criteria generally include ensuring that the environment surrounding the land is undisturbed and that farmers are not violating other licence conditions.

“The settlement officers will head to the location to assess the situation and consider the licence conditions, then provide technical recommendations, ensure that farmers are not operating beyond the limits of their land, and then compile a comprehensive report to the state executive council so they (state government) can decide whether to approve or reject the application,” the officer said.

“Other than this, the terrain of Cameron Highlands is another issue, and settlement officers have to inspect every inch of it. We only have 22 officers who are qualified to do so.

“Although we have enough to keep working, we have requested from the state government for more staff and those who are already here will just keep working.”

Farmers who obtained TOLs will have to pay RM607 per acre (0.4ha), with water bills of RM480 per acre. For example, they will have to pay RM960 in water bills for a 2-acre piece of land.

Farmers are helpless

Like many other farmers, 56-year-old Zhong, from Ringlet, is facing difficulties in renewing his TOL and will immediately apply to renew for the next year upon receiving approval for the current year.

In 2017, he and his wife had paid for the renewal for year 2018 upon receiving the approval for year 2017, but the application has not been resolved to date, with year 2018’s application still hanging in the air.

“We have a TOL, and the land department should have records of this, but the renewal for 2018 has not been approved, but we are not being disturbed by the land office either,” he said.

Zhong had driven from Ringlet to the land office in Tanah Rata to inquire about his application, but was only told to go home and wait.

As the final approval rests with the menteri besar, Zhong even drove to Kuantan to ask about the application, only to be told that the state government has not received the relevant documents from the land office in Cameron Highlands.

Zhong’s brother-in-law was worse off, being unable to renew his TOL for the past six years.

Even though land office enforcers have so far left them alone, some farmers are concerned that they will be slapped with several years’ worth of arrears after gaining approval. This cannot be paid off via installments and will cause severe financial burdens for local farmers.

When asked by media about the land issues facing Cameron Highlands farmers, Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said farmers can rest easy.

“There is no need to worry. Has the state government confiscated any of their land? None, right? They needn’t worry. This is the state government’s land, whether there’s an election or not, we will still allow them to use the land,” he reportedly said.

TOL abuse

A senior local government official also said that some of the farmers are only “telling half of the story” as they have been found abusing their TOLs.

The official said, for example, some major companies have plantations with various types of produce of up to 20 to 30 acres while their TOL is only for five acres.

The official, who requested anonymity, said “this is due to corruption, those who have stayed here for a long time will know who among themselves are operating legally or illegally.”

Another land official, when interviewed by The Malaysian Insight, also blamed some local farmers for the problem, saying some of them are knowingly flouting the laws, and land officials have to measure their lands annually to prevent such incidents from happening.

“That’s why the National Security Council in 2014 initiated Ops Gading, and many private companies or entrepreneurs who are operating illegal farms were dealt with.

“We do not want to blame anyone but when we are studying the farms of Cameron Highlands, the land office has stipulated the limits of the respective farms, but then farmers would unilaterally expand their farms when they feel like there is not enough land.

“Even then, when Ops Gading happened, those who expanded their farms illegally were still angry,” the official said.

“Before Ops Gading, there were about 809ha of illegal farmland, right now we estimate there are at least another 40ha of illegal farms still operating.”

Cameron Highlands Vegetable Farmers’ Association secretary Chay Ee Mong, however, said both the government and farmers are to blame for the predicament.

He said Ops Gading took place after massive floods in 2013, which caused several deaths. The federal government then realised that land clearing in Cameron Highlands had reached a critical stage and had the National Security Council take action.

“There were some farmers who had encroached onto reserve land, but some farmers also complained that the forestry department had encroached onto their farm land, so both sides are to blame.”

From Ops Gading to Ops Lestari

At the end of 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail announced that Ops Gading will be renamed as Ops Lestari.

The land official explained that Ops Gading was focused on enforcement, while Ops Lestari is on supervision and monitoring.

“We will try to recommend to farmers who have expanded illegally to apply for approval with the government, but the condition is that they have to comply with all environmental protection and technical requirements,” he said.

For small-scale farmers, the government recommends that they apply for TOLs.

When asked to comment, Wan Rosdy said the difference between Ops Gading and Ops Lestari is only in name, with the new name representing the new Pakatan Harapan government.

“I don’t know about the details of the new operation, whether they (PH) they will change anything else, I don’t know either,” he said. – January 20, 2019.