GE14 | As many as 20 of 54 parliamentary constituencies where Felda settlements are present could fall to the opposition in the coming election, predicted Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) chairperson Mazlan Aliman.

According to Mazlan, while the original settlers would likely continue to support BN, second and third generation Felda settlers were more sensitive to the scandals that have plagued the agency in recent years, and are therefore more amenable to a change in power.

He claimed such settlers currently make up 70 percent of Felda settlers – as many of the original settlers have passed away – and about 80 percent of these would be amenable to change.

“I had never encountered such a situation where the second and third generation settlers are so sensitive (peka) to what is happening,” he said during a briefing organised by the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) today.

He said that he is as confident with his assessment this year, as he was with his assessment in 2013 that the opposition would be dealt a crushing defeat in the 13th general election.

Read more: Politicisation is the root of Felda's woes, study finds

Mazlan said this when asked whether the scandals that had afflicted Felda since 2013 are having an impact on the settlers.

Speaking to reporters later, he claimed the seats that would fall to opposition parties include Tebrau, Pagoh, Labis, Bera, Temerloh, Kubang Pasu, and Hulu Selangor, among others.

Mazlan added that although some settlers have recently started to receive the RM5,000 cash incentive that the government announced in July last year, most of these are older settlers. 

"We don't have high hopes for these (original) settlers because they are getting ten acres of land and they are sentimental (towards BN)." 

Mazlan also noted that this assessment was shared with Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who responded by saying that the coalition would have a good chance of taking control of Putrajaya if this becomes reality. 

Earlier at the briefing, C4 researcher Rahayu Mumazaini (left in photo) presented the findings of her study on Felda with Universiti Malaya economist Terence Edmund Gomez. 

Her study found a trend towards a concentration of power in Felda in the hands of top Umno politicians, and included a number of scandals involving Felda. 

These include the public listing of Felda Global Ventures, and allegedly suspect investment decisions, such as hotels in London and the company Eagle High. 

Felda settlers form a key voting bloc in Malaysian elections, despite making up only nine percent of the total voting population. 

Although traditionally seen as a BN vote bank, Harapan is hoping that the raft of recent scandals would help them win the settlers' support.