A CONFRONTATION between Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the Perak Land and Minerals Office (PTG) this morning resulted in injury to a member of the left-leaning party. 

Chong Yee Shan suffered a broken tooth and a bleeding nose in the incident. 

PSM secretary general A Sivarajan told The Malaysian Insight that four others, including former Sungai Siput MP Dr Micheal Jeyakumar Devaraj, were arrested by the police following the incident. 

“An Ipoh PTG officer shoved comrade Chong, leaving her with a broken tooth and a bloody nose. This happened during the forced eviction by the Land and Mines Office of farmers in Kantan, which is located in Tambun. 

“Farmers who have cultivated this land for decades are now being driven away by force. Cruelty in the prime minister’s parliamentary seat,” said Sivarajan. 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is the MP for Tambun. 

In a statement that followed, Sivarajan urged Anwar to intervene before demanding the immediate release of those arrested. 

“PSM condemns this high-handed action by the Perak state government on farmers that feed the rakyat. 

“We demand that those arrested should be immediately released. Those detained are Dr Jeyakumar, Karthiges Manickam, Ho Pon Tien, and Kesavan Parvathy. 

“The prime minister has to intervene to resolve the matter and ensure productive farmers are guaranteed land rights to continue farming and ensure food security for the nation,” said Sivarajan. 

According to Sivarajan, nearly 200 farmers grow various food crops in Kanthan and since 2012 farmers were promised lease agreements by the Perak State Development Board. 

“They were offered replacement land of two acres to be leased for a period of 30 years. But the Perak government failed to carry out this promise and has now resorted to forcefully evicting the farmers using section 425 of the National Land Code. 

“Why evict productive farmers, when they have applied for the land, and waited patiently to comply with the state government’s offer for alternative land?” 

“It was the Perak state that failed to relocate them. Dr Jeyakumar has submitted countless memorandums to the Perak menteri besar, minister of agriculture and food security, and the prime minister himself, but eviction still took place today,” said Sivarajan. 

Meanwhile, a human rights civil society organisation also condemned the eviction of farmers from their farmland. 

Agora Society Malaysia (ASM) urged the police to conduct a fair investigation into the violent incident, adding that the state government should stop repressing farmers. 

“We also call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as Tambun MP, to not allow the innocent grassroots to be persecuted, and let his voters down. 

“As the world is dealing with crises brought about by wars and climate change, every country is striving to improve their domestic food supply capacity. 

“By allowing honest farmers to maintain their livelihoods, the entire nation will benefit. National policy should prioritise food security, not self-destruction in the name of development,” ASM said in a statement. – October 24, 2023.