Prickly issue: Mukhriz blames predecessor for Gunung Inas durian farm
The Gunung Inas durian farm issue is proven to be a prickly one as former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir now pointing his finger at his predecessor Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah under the BN government for the decision to plant Musang King durian trees instead of rubber trees at the plantation in Baling.
The Environment Department (DOE) had previously said the controversial mountain-top plantation, which has been linked to the recent deadly floods in Baling, was supposed to be for...
The Gunung Inas durian farm issue is proven to be a prickly one as former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir now pointing his finger at his predecessor Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah under the BN government for the decision to plant Musang King durian trees instead of rubber trees at the plantation in Baling.
The Environment Department (DOE) had previously said the controversial mountain-top plantation, which has been linked to the recent deadly floods in Baling, was supposed to be for a rubber tree plantation and not durian as stated in the environmental impact assessment that was approved in July 2013.
Mukhriz in a statement today said Ahmad Bashah, who led the state government from February 2016 to May 2018, acted to change the timber latex clone (TLC) plantation to durian.
Mukhriz further claimed that a subsidiary of the Kedah government, Kedah Agro Sdn Bhd, which was previously entrusted to replant the area failed to implement it.
However, the company was later changed to Aman Mega Sdn Bhd.
“Aman Mega Sdn Bhd was appointed to take over those duties, but the company was bought over by ECK Development Sdn Bhd.
“During Ahmad Bashah’s time, ECK was allowed to plant durian. For the record, the company that sponsored the Kedah Football Association at the time was later awarded the Kulim International Airport mega project by Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
“Recently, Sanusi cancelled the award because it was finally proven that ECK was not able to implement the mega project as I have emphasised several times before,” said Mukhriz.
Sanusi had denied that his party was involved in the project and blamed the state government under Mukhriz’s administration from 2013 to 2016 and 2018 to 2020.
Durian cultivation
Mukhriz explained that when he was re-appointed as menteri besar in 2018, an effort was made to limit the cultivation of durian in the area to 20 percent.
“When I returned as menteri besar in 2018, a decision was made to limit durian cultivation to only 20 percent as the planting work had already reached that level and the DOE allowed that percentage for crops other than TLC and seven other forest tree species.
“Also, the previous Ladang Sejahtera project in Kelantan by the PAS government there shows that the replanting work was not done properly, resulting in floods,” he added.
However, he said the durian plantation was not the only cause of the flood. The Permanent Forest Reserve area in Gunung Inas was at high risk when the status was changed to an agricultural farm in 2007 and branded as Ladang Sejahtera in 2008.
“It needs to be reminded once again that replanting, even if it involves soil terrace work, is not the cause of soil erosion and floods.
"The disaster would not happen if the forest reserve was not used for the purpose of logging high-value trees and clean felling activities on the grounds of Ladang Sejahtera before 2013," he said.
Mukhriz also questioned whether the EIA study was done at that time.
“What was cut down was not only high-value trees, but it was a clean-cut or bowl washing for the replanting of TLC trees or forest trees approved by the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department,” he said.
The late former menteri besar Azizan Abdul Razak had said that the state government was pushing for the country's first agrotourism park in Tasik Pedu in November 2012, added the Jerlun MP.
“This is what the PAS government was doing as acknowledged by the menteri besar himself. Around the year 2012 to 2013, I was among those who objected to the Ladang Sejahtera project in Kedah, not because of the trees that will be planted, but because the forest reserve was cleared,” said Mukhriz.
He added that the accusations made against him and the state government are merely to obscure the truth from the people.
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