Muniandy Thangavelu got a bank loan 23 years ago, when his community at the Sungai Belata plantation was told, after being moved out of the plantation by a developer, that they would be provided with low-cost houses.

Till today, the houses they were promised still do not exist.

"I took a bank loan from AmBank 23 years ago, but the house is still not built.

"I have been blacklisted (by the bank) twice," Muniandy said at a protest by the former Sungai Belata plantation workers in front of the office of the developer, Land & General Bhd, today.

His is not the only case, said Muniandy, who is president of the former Sungai Belata plantation workers action committee.

Many of them had applied for loans when they were first offered the houses.

Back in 1993, Lembah Beringin Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Land & General, purchased the Sungai Belata plantation in Hulu Selangor for development and purportedly promised the workers there a unit of low-cost housing per family, to be built near there.

The agreement was inked in 2002, with a sales and purchase agreement signed between 64 former plantation workers and Lembah Beringin.

However, Lembah Beringin was folded up on March 17, 2006, on a court order, according to Land & General special projects manager Abdul Hamid Md Yusof.

Developer wound up

"That agreement was between the buyers (the ex-workers) and the developer (Lembah Beringin).

"The developer has gone bankrupt - what can we do?" Abdul Hamid (on right in photo) said when met by reporters after the protest.

Land & General is actually in the process of getting permission to provide the land at Kerling, Hulu Selangor, where the promised houses were meant to be built for the workers, he said.

"The land we planned (to give them) is part of our corporate social responsibility to them," Abdul Hamid said.

However, Muniandy insisted they want the houses they had been promised, built on the land as promised.

"If we are quiet, then they would be quiet too. We are doing this because it is our right," he said.

Abdul Hamid said they have also informed the workers to set up a meeting with Selangor exco V Ganabatirau, who is the poverty, caring government and plantation workers committee chairperson.

The Land & General management would be informed of this meeting, he said, and they would discuss the issue with the workers and Ganabatirau.

"We have nothing to hide. We only hope that we can move this issue forward, and settle the land issue first.

"I hope they can be patient. Even if they came here from afar today, there's nothing that can be done (until the meeting)," he said.

Patience has run out

Earlier during the rally, former Sungai Belata plantation workers' action committee secretary Vijayakumar Gopal said the displaced workers cannot be patient any longer.

"We have waited for 23 years. My father has passed away. Half of the people from my family have passed away.

"We cannot be patient anymore, which is why we came down here (to protest) today," Vijayakumar said.

At the protest, which started approximately 10.45am today, roughly 50 former plantation workers and their family members gathered in front of the entrance to Land & General's office with banners and placards.

They chanted slogans such as, "What do we want? Our house," at the entrance, while waiting for the Land & General representative to come and receive their memorandum.

Abdul Hamid received their memorandum, which urged the company to inform the workers of the decision and status of their promised houses.