Exco urges plantation workers not to be deceived by third parties

KKB BY-ELECTION | Workers from five plantations around Hulu Selangor were asked not to be deceived by third-party promises in relation to the construction of low-cost terrace houses on an 8.1ha site given by Berjaya Corp Bhd in 2019.

Selangor state exco V Papparaidu said the housing issue involving over 200 workers from Ladang Nigel Gardner, Bukit Tagar, Mary, Oil, and Sungai Tinggi cannot be resolved easily.

“Their request is indeed fair. We don’t deny that. However, this issue cannot be resolved immediately. Research is needed first before a decision is made.

“Therefore, the residents of the area should not believe in third parties and be deceived,” Papparaidu (above, centre) told reporters in Kerling today.

On May 11, the residents of five farms in the Kuala Kubu Baharu state assembly area questioned whether there was a candidate who could support their demand.

A representative of the residents’ committee, Vasudevan Raja Manickam, today said that any candidate who wanted votes from the plantations in question must first produce a statutory declaration (SD) to fulfil all the promises made.

He claimed the workers in question had been “cheated” many times.

Papparaidu, however, said he had been giving his focus on the issue since being appointed as a Selangor state exco member.

“I have written to Berjaya Group in particular and received the relevant documents. In the document provided by Berjaya, it was mentioned that the land would be given to 69 people only.

“But the exco office representative who is the coordinator has documents for 244 people. This list of names needs to be combined first.

“At the same time, a letter was written to the Housing and Local Government Ministry. We should get an answer from it. Only then will this problem be resolved. So, the residents there should be patient,” he said.

‘No need for SD’

DAP leader further said the residents’ request that candidates of the by-election sign an SD will not help solve the problem.

For the record, Malaysiakini sighted a copy of the SD.

Among the matters raised include the construction of low-cost terrace houses for 245 workers from the five farms, planned on an 8.1ha site given by Berjaya Corp Bhd in 2019.

The plantation workers also demanded that the new Kuala Kubu Baharu assemblyperson deal only with legitimate residents’ committees they have mandated, instead of “cronies or representatives of political parties and employers”.

In addition, they urged the new elected representative to ensure that there would be no forced eviction of workers and former workers until their new houses were completed. - Mkini