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ADUN SPEAKS | It is not clear whether the vegetable farmers, numbering 61, are being evicted from their land for being supporters of the Pakatan Harapan government or because their farming activities are a source of pollution in Sungai Ichat in Kuala Terla, Cameron Highlands.

Their question of the illegal occupation of land does not arise in the first place, for they have been recipients of TOL licences from the Pahang state government until 2015.

This is something that the Pahang state government denies or hides.

In fact, there were some serious discussions between the former BN member of Parliament, the local state assemblyperson, state authorities and the farmers in 2009.

Although nothing materialised from the meetings, at least then there was an attempt to address the woes of the farmers in Cameron Highlands with a view to resolving their problems on land occupation and the need to ensure sustainable development.

The present local DAP assemblyperson for Tanah Rata, Chiong Yoke Kong, has taken up the plight of the farmers who have been served with the notice to vacate their lands without any alternative site for their relocation.

He has dispelled the notion of the Pahang state government that the activities of these farmers have contributed to the pollution of Sungei Ichat.

Chiong (photo) said that while the Sungei Ichat might be polluted, it is not the main source of water for the dam in Cameron Highlands, but rather Sungei Terla and other rivers in the vicinity.

He is not clear why the authorities in Pahang are targeting the farmers located near Sungei Ichat and whether this has anything to do with their support for Harapan or for the DAP in the recent by-election.

In the meeting in 2009, it was decided that the farmers would be asked to move a distance from Sungei Ichat to prevent river pollution but then the matter was never followed through.

If this had been done, the question of pollution might not rise, let alone the Pahang BN government inventing an excuse to take action against farmers.

Notices have been issued against the farmers, in two phases. The first phase, already set in motion, involved the clearing of 10 farms and the second phase, the rest of the farms.

Unless there is a review by the state government, farmers who have worked on the land for generations will be forced out, without being provided any alternative sites.

The matter of locating these farmers in special food growing zones has also not taken any priority.

Strangely, even some in the Ministry of Agriculture seem to buy the argument of the Pahang state that these farmers located near Sungei Ichat have to go. What an utter disappointment!

The general statement by the Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar (photo) that the Pahang state government must take stern against those causing river pollution has been used as a justification against the farmers in Sungei Ichat.

I quite agree with local state assemblyperson Chiong that the grounds used to take action against the more than 60 farmers are without justification.

The state government cannot invent river pollution overnight to serve notices of eviction to farmers who have tilled their land for generations.

Some of the federal ministries seem willing to be blind to the plight of the farmers. The need for food self-sufficiency does not cross the minds of the policymakers in the federal government.

It serves no purpose to talk about self-sufficiency in food production if there are no alternative plans to safeguard the livelihood of these farmers.

Surprisingly, the big and powerful who are also responsible for pollution and environmental degradation in Cameron Highlands remain untouchable, while the poor farmers have to pay the heavy price of state eviction and expulsion.

Sadly, this is Malaysia Baru!


P RAMASAMY is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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