A rally to condemn Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy for criticising Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail's decision to evict farmers in Kuala Terla was held in Cameron Highlands today.
The peaceful rally was held in front of the Brinchang police station at 2.45pm today. Banners and a placard with the slogan "Ramasamy Bengap, Kurang Ajar dan Kurang Akal" were seen at the site.
There was also a banner stating that the protesters agreed to the decision by Wan Rosdy to act on the farmers.
According to Wan Rosdy, the rally was held by concerned residents in Cameron Highlands to condemn Ramasamy for "meddling" in Pahang affairs.
The protesters condemned Ramasamy for pressuring Wan Rosdy to quit his post over the move to evict farmers and demolish their farms along Sungai Ichat and Sungai Terla.
Wan Rosdy had previously said that 61 farms spanning 55 hectares would be cleared to prevent the Kuala Terla water catchment area from being further polluted.
The first phase, which began on Feb 25 and ran till mid-March, involved clearing 11 farms.
Fifty farms will be affected in the second phase, which is scheduled to begin in April.
The MB said he had made the decision following reports he received regarding environmental pollution in the Kuala Terla water catchment area due to the clearing of land and usage of banned chemical by the farmers.
"Ramasamy wanted to be the champion of the farmers but he acted unprofessionally and wanted to take revenge because the DAP candidate (M Manogaran) lost in the last by-election in Cameron Highlands," said Wan Rosdy, who shared information regarding the rally via Whatsapp.
"According to protesters, the rally is to tell Ramasamy not to interfere in the affairs of Pahang, (and that) instead, it is better for Ramasamy to care for the welfare of Penangites," he added.
Ramasamy has been slamming Wan Rosdy over the eviction move, demanding that the MB quit his post for victimising the farmers, whom he claimed had been working the land for more than 60 years.
However, in a blog post yesterday, Wan Rosdy said the farmers were only issued temporary licenses in 1993, about 26 years ago.
He also said the information was based on records from the Cameron Highlands district office.
Wan Rosdy said that the Pahang state had no choice but to demolish the farms, because the farmers were using banned chemicals that have contaminated Sungei Ichat.
He stressed that the farms had to be demolished to prevent further water contamination resulting from the use of harmful chemicals.
Wan Rosdy also said Ramasamy should be focusing on Penang, particularly on the plight of those who have been recently expelled from public housing and state land, instead of asking him to resign. - Mkini
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