A group of Perak farmers urged for Putrajaya’s intervention after the state government awarded about 1,200ha of agricultural land which the farmers have cultivated since the 1950s to developers.
According to Free Malaysia Today, PSM chairperson Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj submitted a memorandum to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry on behalf of the approximately 300 affected farmers.
He reportedly said the affected areas include Tanah Hitam-Changkat Kinding and Tanah Kanthan-Kuala Kuang.
He said about 95 percent of the land was awarded to the developers for residential or industrial purposes.
“So far, a piece of land spanning 500 acres (202ha) has been cleared and the farmers have been evicted,” he was cited as saying.
He bemoaned that the land was not only taken away from the farmers but it was also given to developers instead of the poor.
“We want the minister Mohamad Sabu to intervene.”
The former Sungai Siput MP also emphasised the gravity of the situation, asserting that the state government’s actions jeopardised the nation’s food security.
He also contested claims that the farmers were illegally working on the land, pointing out they applied to use the land for agricultural purposes since the 1960s but there was no response from the government.
“It’s not like they didn’t apply for it.
“After 60 years (of occupying the land), the government is now saying the farmers have no documents, so who is to blame here?”
Eviction process
On Oct 24, Jeyakumar and three others were arrested by the police during a farm eviction process in Kanthan, near Tambun.
The three were PSM committee member R Karthiges, Perak PSM Youth member P Kesavan, and a farmer identified as Ho Pon Tien.
They were then released on police bail.
PSM activist Chong Yee Shan was also left with a bloodied face after being allegedly shoved by an officer from the Perak Land and Mines Office near a farm in Kanthan.
Six farmers - aged between 49 and 56 - then filed a legal challenge, which named the Kinta district and land office administrator, the Perak State Development Corporation, the state land and mines director, as well as the state government as respondents.
They contended that the land has been farmed by their parents and family members continuously since the 1940s during the colonial period until today.
On Oct 26, the Ipoh High Court allowed the application for an interim stay of an eviction order against the farmers.
Counsel for the six farmers, K Kunasekaran, said judge Abdul Wahab Mohamed greenlighted the interim stay, which will take effect until Jan 12 next year.
On Oct 28, Jeyakumar slammed the Perak government, after the administration denied that a group of farmers in Kanthan, Tambun were being forcefully evicted as it was being done according to the law.
He disputed the state government’s claims, saying the use of Section 425 of the National Land Code was inappropriate in this instance, as it covers the occupation of state land without permission from the appropriate authorities.
He also mentioned Section 425 does not give the right for the Perak Land and Mines Office to trespass into farmlands, push or injure people, and destroy plants. - Mkini
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