FELDA settlers have expressed their frustration over last week’s announcement of incentives by Prime Minister Najib Razak, saying that the financial aid is merely a short-term solution to their problems.

Instead, they demand that the government and Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) meet them to determine their real grouses and not just resort to handing out “sweets”.

“If they do this all the time, Felda is like a father who gives out sweets each time his children throw a tantrum,” said 69-year-old Mat Ali Musa from Felda Purun in Bera, Pahang.

“This way, when will the problem be solved?” Ali told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the recent announcement by Najib that 94,956 Felda families will each receive RM5,000 was similar to the giving out of loans to settlers five years ago to buy shares in the newly restructured FGV.

Ali said the incentive, which is costing the government RM474.78 million, was just a short-term solution to the problems settlers have been facing since the restructuring.

He said unless the authorities talked to the settlers and listened to them, Felda will never know the real situation and problem.

“The settlers disagree with the amount owed to Felda Technoplant (FTP),” he said, referring to the arm which manages the replanting of crops at plantations.

“This RM5,000 incentive will not solve the problem of our debts to FTP,” he said.

Felda Technoplant Sdn Bhd is a subsidiary of Felda which was formed in 2005 to manage the replanting of palm oil on farms.

On Monday, pressure group Suara Generasi Ke2 Felda, a group representing the views of second-generation Felda settlers, criticised Najib’s six incentives, saying that the amount did not resolve the two main problems faced by settlers, namely the management of land and the streamlining of outstanding debts.

How much debt?

Chairman of Taskforce Felda Bersatu Wan Mohd Shahrir Wan Abd Jalil questioned if Felda was aware of the actual debt of the 94,956 settlers.

“Each settler has not had a straightforward and transparent breakdown of the total amount owed.

“Felda promised before this, that each settler will get a statement of their debt every three months,” he said.

Wan Shahrir said the high debt was not a result of the settlers’ failures, but because of the high interest rate of 6.5% imposed for the replanting of crops.

“Apart from that, the weakness in management led some settlers’ failure to make enough returns to repay their debts, even after six years.

“The settlers were supposed to be able to repay their debts after six years, according to an earlier promise.

“But with the weak management under FTP, their yields have been very low, and this is beyond the settlers’ control,” said the Bersatu leader.

Zainuddin Mat Naan from Felda Soeharto in Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor said Najib’s incentives are just “small assistance” that could not meet their needs.

“Actually, we have gotten nothing from these (FGV) shares. So, these incentives are really not that much help to the settlers.

“For example, my own debt to FTP for managing the land has reached RM141,000 in the last 10 years.”

Zainuddin, who is also a committee member of Umno Hulu Selangor division, said if Najib does not resolve the two main issues of land management and debt, it was likely that the opposition will be able to make inroads into Felda areas.

“We are not opposing the government. I am an Umno member, chairman of the village development and security committee (JKKP) in Kampung Soeharto.

“I’m worried that this country will be ruled by others. If they don’t resolve the problems of Felda settlers, it is not impossible for the opposition to win because all the issues they have raised about Felda are true,” he said.

Last week, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said Felda was no longer an Umno stronghold.

There are 54 parliamentary seats in Felda areas and Barisan Nasional (BN) were defeated in six of the seats in Raub, Kuala Nerus, Temerloh, Dungun, Kulai and Sungai Siput at the last elections. – July 27, 2017.