Persatuan Anak Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) today fired its final bullet in its Kerdau by-election campaign, claiming that Felda's biggest success is in pushing 80,000 settlers into debt.

Anak president Mazlan Aliman said the resettlement scheme has loaded first-generation settlers with debts of at least RM71,000 each, a figure that many can't hope to finish paying off.

"This is a burden on the settlers who don't know how to clear their debts, especially in their old age," he said at PAS' daily press conference at their operations centre.

He claimed that the federal government's move to corporatize Felda has failed miserably as not only is it inefficient, it is also forcing settlers to pay exorbitant rates for their services.

"Take for example oil palm saplings. Say it goes for around RM10 for each sapling, but after it goes through the contractors and whatnots it can go up to RM20 each.

"You'd expect that Felda would become more efficient with corporatisation... the only thing they are efficient in is pushing settlers into debt," he said.

NONE Mazlan, ( left ) who is also a PAS central committee member, said that he has a solution to the long-standing debt issue which he proposes to be included in Pakatan Rakyat's Buku Jingga (Orange Book).

"I will present this to the top leaders in Pakatan. What I propose is that we help settle the debts of these settlers.

"If Pakatan does away with these debts, it will cost around RM500 million but with Felda's profits, the government will not need to top up the figure as Felda has more than enough money to settle that amount," he said.

Confidence rising in Kerdau

Earlier, PAS vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said they have a "good" feeling going into tomorrow's polls, judging from their reading of voter sentiments.

"It's good, our machinery is good, and the response we have been getting has been good. During this by-election, we've had 18 former Umno members join us in (Felda) Jengka 22 and in Jengka 23, around 30 of them joined us.

"This is a good sign as in past by-elections we have seen our people jumping over to their side, but this time their people are joining our side," he said.

Tomorrow, voters will choose between BN's candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad and PAS' Hassanuddin Salim in the Kerdau by-election, which was called in the middle of last month following the sudden death of BN incumbent Zaharuddin Abu Kassim.