The Penang DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) has condemned the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) for destroying the banana plantation of a farmer in Seberang Jaya two days ahead of Deepavali.

State Dapsy exco member Satees Muniandy said that the act of the DID has hurt the sensitivities of the Hindu community who will be celebrating Deepavali tomorrow.

NONE However, Satees ( right ) has expressed suspicion over the sudden involvement of MIC Youth chief J Dhinakaran in the matter today.

“It is as if it had been pre-planned by a certain group to denigrate the image of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Penang,” said Satees, who is Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy’s assistant.

“The Penang MIC Youth chief’s accusation that it was the state government who had demolished the plantation is not only ignorant but mischievous,” added the Batu Kawan Dapsy secretary.

Yesterday, workers from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage had bulldozed into their reserve land in Seberang Jaya (next to the district police station), levelling about 50 banana trees, without prior notice.

Kamala Devi Abaroo, 47, who has been planting and harvesting the bananas to supplement her livehood for about 12 years, is crying foul that she has lost her ‘rice bowl’ due to the demolition.

She laid total blame on the Pakatan Rakyat government and zeroed in on Ramasamy for her current woes.

But Ramasamy said he had done his part to help Kamala Devi by contacting the relevant departments personally to request them not to disrupt her livelihood.

Dhinakaran, who had accompanied Kamala Devi to the plantation, condemned Pakatan for its ‘cruel actions’ to level the land just before the Deepavali celebrations.

He had also likened the situation to the controversial Kampung Buah Pala and Waterfall Café in the Botanical Gardens, where residents suffered eviction woes due to demolition of buildings.

DID under federal, not state government

Satees explained that the DID was under the jurisdiction of the federal and not state government, which has no power over the department.             

“It appears that the Penang MIC Youth chief does not know how to differentiate between a federal and state department,” he said, tongue in cheek.

“We sympathise with the MIC Youth members who have a leader who is ‘very knowledgeable’ in this matter,” he added.

NONE Satees questioned why the MIC could not find a solution to the matter despite saying it had met the DID director Anuar Yahya over Kamala Devi’s ( right in pic ) problem, although the party was a component of BN which controls the federal government.

“This is what begs the question, especially when Kamala Devi appeared together with Penang MIC Youth and blamed DCM II Ramasamy for her woes,” he said.

“We know Ramasamy has no jurisdiction over DID and has only come forward to assist her on humanitarian grounds,” he added.

“How can someone who assists based on humanitarian grounds be responsible for the actions of a department which is not related to him?” he queried.

Satees insisted that the incident may have been planned without the knowledge of the farmer.

He added that it was obvious that the press conference held jointly between Kamala Devi and Dhinakaran today was more to condemn the DCM II than to find a solution for the problem.

“This proves that MIC is no longer relevant and is so desperate until it wants to attract cheap publicity; this is indeed regrettable,” he said.

“We advise them to repent and conduct their politics in a professional manner and not play games of cheap publicity as they are doing now,” he added.