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Sunday, June 4, 2017

MIB to address former estate workers’ resettlement issues

Director-general of Sedic says residents of Taman Permata flats were relocated there after their estates were acquired by the administration of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
NS-RajendranPETALING JAYA: The Unit for the Socioeconomic Development of the Indian Community (Sedic) has given its assurance that the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) will address the longstanding problem involving the resettlement of former estate workers.

Its director-general NS Rajendran said the various steps would include creating a professional mediation and facilitation process to assist in resettlement negotiations.
He said the initiative would also entail a proposed policy framework and regulatory amendments to have “clear and firm” guidelines on the process and obligations related to resettlement.
He added that the measures were also meant to provide support for resettled Malaysian Indian families to adjust to their new surroundings.
“The resettlement of ex-estate workers has been a distinct problem pertinent to the Malaysian Indian community,” Rajendran said in a statement last night.
“The sale and conversion of estates into housing or industrial developments forced thousands of retrenched estate workers to move out without proper alternative arrangements made for their living.”
He said even before the measures were proposed, the administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak and plantation companies had since 2009 undertaken efforts to resettle estate workers to new housing facilities and provide amenities for the ageing estate workforce.
He said this in response to a recent report by China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the plight of Indians in Malaysia and the housing woes faced by mostly Indian residents of the dilapidated Taman Permata flats in Dengkil, Selangor.
The report also highlighted criticism against the MIB, the federal government’s ten-year action plan to uplift the quality of life of Indians in Malaysia with an allocation of more than RM1 billion.
The blueprint, coordinated by Sedic as an agency under the prime minister’s department, was launched by Najib on April 23.
Rajendran said the Taman Permata residents were former estate workers of Prang Besar, Galloway, Sedgeley and Medengley estates which had made way for the development of Putrajaya.
He said the workers were relocated to Taman Permata after the estates were acquired by the government under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said the current federal government took steps to resolve the issue in 2013 by offering to build new homes for the residents.
This led to the approval of RM60 million to build 400 houses in Ampar Tenang, Sepang with land provided by the Selangor government, he added.
“Despite several challenges faced by the federal government on the land matter which impeded the process, an open tender was finally called by the ministry of urban wellbeing, housing and local government in April this year to identify a suitable contractor to implement the project,” he said.
Rajendran said Sedic officials will engage with relevant ministry officials to expedite the implementation process.
He added that the Cabinet Committee on Indian Participation in Government Programmes and Projects (CCIC) chaired by MIC minister Dr S Subramaniam would also escalate the matter to Najib and the cabinet for a ground-breaking ceremony to be held soon.
“The outcome of the follow-up actions will be communicated to the residents and the media in a timely manner by Sedic,” he said. -FMT

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