Gatco settlers robbed of their land?
ADUN SPEAKS Insofar as Indian Malaysians are concerned, two agencies are responsible for their present economic, social and political problems. One is the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) and the other the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). If these two organisations had functioned effectively over the past four or five decades, Indian Malaysians would have fewer problems today.
Today both are weak organisations. Migration of plantation workers to urban areas has rendered NUPW as the most ineffective union in the country. It is just a matter of time before it collapses. The MIC is a joke to many Indian Malaysians, by becoming a yes-man to Umno it had lost its clout as the sole representative of Indian Malaysians.
The classic case of NUPW’s alleged betrayal of plantation workers is in the case of plantation workers who were settled in a scheme in Bahau in the late 1970s. At that time, the NUPW introduced a scheme to settle hundreds of plantation workers near Bahau, Negri Sembilan, under what came to be known as the ‘Gatco scheme’.
The NUPW floated its wholly-owned company called Gatco (Great Alioners Trading Corporation Bhd) to lease about 4700 acres of land from the Negri Sembilan state government for the purpose of the land scheme. Workers invited to participate in the land scheme came from all over the country and had to pay an initial amount of RM7, 500 for a one-acre land area for housing and 10 acres for agriculture.
The housing land was subsequently mortgaged to a commercial bank and I understand the majority of the workers have already paid whatever they owed to the Malaysia Building SocietyBerhad.
The struggle for the ten-acre plot for each family remains unresolved to this day. At first workers were promised a 10-acre land area, but later Gatco said that it could only alienate eight acres. However, due to an alleged financial scandal, corruption and misuse of funds, Gatco went into receivership in the 1990s.
It was during this time that Gatco offered to sell its land for RM16 million, and the settlers took up the offer. While negotiations were proceeding, the land was suddenly sold to Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd (a company belonging to Lotus Group).
Over the last 30 years of their struggle, the settlers numbering more than 100 have engaged a number of lawyers to take up their cases. They have also lodged a number of caveats on the land in question. A few years back they engaged lawyer R Gengadharan to argue their case in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to say that the sale of the land by Gatco to Thamarai was null and void. The settlers are still waiting for their matter to be heard in court.
A week ago, without any announcement, Thamarai brought in bulldozers and thugs protected by the police to take claim over ‘their’ land. Setters who protested were badly beaten up and arrested. Those arrested also included members of the DAP and PKR.
Thamarai Holdings, basically operated by members of the Lotus Group, did not even obtain a court order for their incursion into the property that actually belongs to the settlers. The police like in most cases were not a neutral party; they came in full force to provide protection to the land owner.
Why act in such haste?
The land matter has not been settled, but why should the Lotus Group act in such haste? Why should the police act on behalf of the Lotus Group/Thamarai Holdings to beat up settlers who are entitled to land in this village? What is the role of the menteri besar? Apparently, when asked for court order, the police replied that they have orders from the menteri besar himself!
Lotus Group is a prominent Indian company in Malaysia. They are doing well in business - they operate successful chain of restaurants, hotels, they also recruit foreign workers and to the Malaysian public they also contribute to temples and worthy social causes.
Why should Thamarai Holdings want to buy land that rightfully belongs to Indian Malaysian workers? Why should this company work in league with the police and the authorities to beat up and detain workers who have been struggling for their rights over the last 30 years or so?
It is not proper on the part of the Thamarai Holdings not to respect the laws of this country. Obviously they have taken the law into their own hands. If Thamarai Holdings has a sense of fair-play, morality and conscience, they should leave the land to the workers themselves. There are plenty of agricultural land available in Negri Sembilan and other states.
Meanwhile, the setters are thinking of what kind of action they are going to take against Thamarai Holdings to highlight their problems. They are even thinking of coming to Petaling Jaya to organise a demonstration against the Lotus Group.
Gatco fracas - residents not whacked, say cops
P RAMASAMY is deputy chief minister of Penang.
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