Amanah man raps gov't over Felda settlers' allowance reduction

Felda NGOs Consultative Council head Mazlan Aliman (above) has slammed Felda for reducing the cost of living allowance for its settlers, saying such move was against the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto.

Felda has reportedly reduced the monthly allowance from the previous RM1,500 to RM1,000 for settlers participating in replanting programmes for 10 acres of land.

Mazlan, who is also an Amanah supreme council member, said Felda's move was not in line with Harapan's promise to defend the interests of the settlers.

“Our council opposed the reduction because it went against Harapan manifesto in Buku Harapan which mentions increasing the settlers' living cost to RM2,000 per month according to current needs.

“It is the responsibility of Felda's management to find the best mechanism to realise government manifesto,” Mazlan told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mazlan was previously head of the Amanah-linked Felda Settlers' Children Association which fought for the welfare of the settlers. He is currently also the Farmers Organisation Authority (FAO) chief.

Mazlan said Felda's board of directors did not engage the settlers' and their dependents before coming to the decision.

On a related matter, Mazlan said he had led a delegation to the Economic Affairs Ministry two days ago to meet te deputy secretary-general to submit a proposal on revamping Felda.

He said there should be a recovery plan for while waiting for the ministry to table a white paper on Felda in Parliament.

He also claimed no Felda settlers or their children were appointed to the agency's board of directors.

“Instead, outsiders who have little knowledge on Felda are appointed to the board. They are considered outsiders. In this crisis, how can they bring about a renewal in Felda's interest,” he asked.

Mazlan reminded that Felda settlers greatly contributed to the forming of the Harapan federal government and if no reform was done, they may not vote for Harapan in the next general election.

“As we know, they are hardcore BN supporters. In the last election, the Felda voters supported Harapan for the first time. We successfully formed the government with 19 out of 54 Felda seats going to Harapan.

“If there is no reform until GE15, we may lose such support,” he warned. - Mkini