The opposition plans to move a motion of no confidence against Agriculture Minister Effendi Norwawi and Health Minister Chua Jui Meng when Parliament resumes sitting on Oct 8 if the controversy over the JE Trust Fund is not resolved.

The two ministers have been accused by the opposition of 'breaking their promises' to the victims of the 1999 Nipah virus outbreak, the Bukit Pelanduk pig farmers in Negeri Sembilan.

Prior to the Teluk Kemang parliamentary by-election last year, both Effendi and Chua (pix) were reported to have announced that all the monies in the JE Trust Fund would be disbursed to the farmers.

However, the farmers were recently told that the fund's remaining amount of RM18 million would now be kept to deal with future outbreaks.

"If the issue is not settled, I will personally write to the prime minister and ask for his intervention besides moving a motion of no-confidence in Parliament next month against these two ministers," said DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock after meeting with the pig farmers in Bukit Pelanduk today.

The JE fund - set-up with public donations - totalled RM155.7 million, of which RM136.2 million has been given out to the farmers as of July 10 this year.

The bulk of the donations came in the form lottery sales conducted by three gaming companies - Magnum, Pan Malaysian Pools and Sports Toto - which contributed a total of RM139 million to the fund.

Last Tuesday, the farmers had threatened to highlight their plight during the Sarawak state election campaign trails if the government refuses to distribute the balance of the fund to them.

Pig farmers briefed

Kerk, who is also Kota Melaka MP, told the pig farmers this morning that he had spoken to Effendi (pix) on the issue and the minister had promised to look into the matter.

The agriculture minister, who is in charge of the JE fund, was reported to be unaware of remaining RM18 million in the fund.

Chua failed to turn up at the pig farmers briefing today despite being invited.

"I'm not surprised that he (Chua) did not turn up," Kerk said. The Sun reported today that Chua would be unable to attend the briefing as he was accompanying Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Russia and is only expected back next Tuesday.

The daily quoted an aide of the health minister as saying that the 'farmers should seek help from the agriculture minister as the fund is under his responsibility'.

The aide added that the pig farmers 'did not send any letter to Chua regarding the briefing'.

Industry crippled

Kerk also said the health minister's previous remarks that the farmers had been adequately compensated and had been given education and training were 'untrue and hurtful'.

The DAP leader claimed the farmers were not re-trained to enable them to pursue new vocations.

Most of the farmers are said to be heavily in debt as they needed to repay bank loans they took for investments in their farms before the outbreak.

Kerk called on government officials to visit the farmers to understand the problems endured by them adding that Chua only visited the farmers last year during the by-election and had not since.

The deadly Nipah virus outbreak claimed more than 300 victims, of which 100 died.

The outbreak affected not only the health of the people in Bukit Pelanduk but crippled the entire pig-farming industry in Negeri Sembilan, said to be the biggest and most lucrative in Southeast Asia.

Most of the former pig farmers, who are in their 40s, lost their livelihood when the industry collapsed.