Residents of an oil palm estate in Penang are beginning to lose faith in their elected representatives after being forced to live without electricity for more than a month now.

"Even though government and state representatives have met us, I don't think they'll get anything done for us, anytime soon," complained Ladang Batu Kawan Workers Committee vice-chairperson Siva Perumal when contacted today.

Some of the residents have also embarked on a hunger strike to protest land owner, Penang Development Corporation's (PDC), alleged move to cut the supply on Dec 6.

The former estate workers were also slapped with eviction notices two weeks later.

However, PDC, which is helmed by Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon, has blamed a faulty generator for the residents' power woes.

Outdated generator

According to Siva, the estate's 84 families had been obtaining electricity supply from two different sources.

Some 70 homes depended on a 40-year-old generator while the others were supplied power via conventional Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) pylons.

"The old generator had been giving us lots of problems in the past but this time, when it broke down in early December, its was not repairable.

"Prior to that, TNB's power supply (to 14 homes) was also cut," claimed Siva.

He said TNB pylons had been erected for sometime now near all the houses but not all of them were supplied with electricity.

He also alleged that the houses which were lighted up by TNB, fell into darkness soon after the general election last March.

Batu Kawan's Barisan Nasional parliamentarian Huan Cheng Guan and Bukit Tambun state assembly representative Lai Chew Hock had visited the residents previously.

Inaccurate forms

Contacted today, Lai said he was working closely with the aggrieved parties to help them resolve the matter.

"They have come back to me to ask for help. There have been groups and politicians who have confused them with all kinds of proposals and ideas to solve the problem," he added.

He said that these ' non-government aligned groups' were not acting on their own proposals and ideas and were merely there to make a big deal of the issue.

"In order to solve this, I need all the residents to reach an agreement on the issues. They also did not go through the proper channels to get the issues addressed," he added.

Lai however conceded that residents have been relying on an outdated generator but as far as the problem with TNB was concerned, he said the residents had filled the application forms inaccurately.

"I can't comment on how long it'll take for electricity to be supplied again but I will assist them once they help themselves by mobilising and submitting proper applications to TNB. I will make an appeal to the company to expedite the process," he said.

On the residents' eviction notice, the state rep said there needs to be further factual clarification and data on their employment and occupancy periods to establish compensation and relocation eligibility.

The residents were formerly employed by Taiko Plantations Sdn Bhd until PDC acquired the land in 1992. Many have since been jobless as the consecutive plantation company, after Taiko, chose to hire foreign workers instead.

The disgruntled ex-workers have also accused PDC of not keeping its promises to compensate and provide them with alternative housing.

Meanwhile, Siva said another resident has joined the four women who have been on a hunger strike since last Friday.

The oil palm estate residents, mainly those from within the workers committee, have been taking turns hunger striking, since Dec 27.