Maika’s white knight loses hero status

Tycoon G Gnanalingam’s G-Team is allegedly blocking water supply to Tumbok Estate to force residents to move out.

BANTING: G Team Resources Sdn Bhd, last year’s saviour of Maika Holdings Bhd, has allegedly denied water supply to the residents of Tumbuk Estate in a bid to force them to move out.

According to the residents, G Team has withheld payment of water bills amounting to RM2,500 and the estate has been deprived of water for three weeks.

Tumbok Estate is about 20km from Banting town and 5km from Tanjung Sepat.

It was among the Maika assets that G Team acquired in a deal that received a lot of publicity during the run-up to the Hulu Selangor by-election last year.

G Gnanalingam, the owner of G Team, was hailed as the white knight who saved the troubled investment arm of MIC.

The residents are former estate workers whose services were terminated in March 2006. Maika made an agreement with the National Union of Plantation Workers that it would allow the former workers to continue living in their quarters rent-free until houses were built for them.

Under the agreement, Maika would commence construction of the housing scheme in April 2008, but this has not happened.

Of the original 29 families, 17 have taken up G-Team’s offer to relocate after accepting RM25,000 each.

Of the remaining 12 families, G-Team only recognises eight. The other four households are families of retired workers.

According to retired worker L Ramalingam, 72, G Team had even removed their water meters. “We are now forced to get our water supply from the kindergarten and temple,” he told FMT.

He also said Gnanalingam had falsely promised to build 32 houses for the residents.

Unprecedented

Commenting on the issue, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan said the action of cutting water supply to evict workers was unprecedented.

“This is the first time water supply is blocked to force eviction,” he said.

Under normal circumstances, eviction can take place only by court order.

“According to the Estate Housing and Amenities Act 1990, employers are duty-bound to provide water supply,” Arutchelvan said.

He added that the change of ownership of the estate did not affect the agreement made in 2006.

Three months ago, the residents obtained three caveats to ensure that G Team does not sell the land they live on.

G Team wants the caveats to be lifted, but its negotiations with the residents and the Labour Department are not going well, according to Arutchelvan.