Mazlan: Can 'helpful' PN break Felda free from Umno's grip?

 

JOHOR POLLS | With the Johor snap polls coming soon, former Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan chairperson Mazlan Aliman has indicated that Umno-BN should not be so confident about retaining support from its traditional voter bank of Felda settlers.

This is because, Mazlan (above) said, the previous Perikatan Nasional administration led by then-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin had shown “political will” in helping out Felda settlers.

“Unexpectedly, Muhyiddin as prime minister took proactive steps in bringing changes to Felda.

“The acquisition or holding of over 80 percent stake in Felda Global Ventures, the disposal of 80 percent of the settlers’ debts and the implementation of the Settler Development Programme are among the successes seen by the settlers.

“Although the big issues have not been resolved fully, the political will of the government was felt by the people of Felda,” he said in a statement today.

His statement was also uploaded onto the Facebook page of Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who said he had just met with Mazlan for breakfast today.

In the statement, Mazlan noted that Felda voters make up a significant voter base in the Johor state election as Johor has the second-largest Felda settlement in Malaysia, after Pahang.

While Felda settlers have traditionally supported Umno-BN, Mazlan said this changed during the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018, which saw 19 parliament seats in Felda areas switch hands to Harapan and PAS.

However, the former Amanah central committee member acknowledged that Felda reforms were slow during Harapan’s time in power, causing widespread disappointment among settlers.

“The Felda White Paper tabled on April 10, 2019, even though it was an extremely good effort from the Harapan government, but it was too late as the damage has been done,” Mazlan said.

Hence, he said, the upcoming Johor state election will be the actual gauge of who Felda voters will support now.

“Will the Felda voters, which consist of the pioneers and the new Felda generation, numbering around 180,000, return as BN’s fixed deposit?

“Let us wait together until March 12 (polling day),” Mazlan said. - Mkini