S'gor exco chides Maran MP's narrow-minded take on new villages

Selangor state executive councillor Ng Sze Han has criticised Maran MP Ismail Abd Muttalib for questioning the status of “new villages” and implying that its inhabitants had communist links.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Ng (above) who is in charge of local government, public transport, and new village development said new villages have a long history in Malaysia and had contributed to the nation’s growth.

Echoing Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s reply to Ismail in Parliament, Ng said the British colonial government originally created the new villages to house Chinese residents who were mostly victims of communist insurgents and they were not communists themselves.

“This history cannot be changed. Moreover, new villages have played an important role in the development of the country, and this is our contribution to the nation,” he added.

Many of these new villages in the Klang Valley eventually transformed into large towns - a phenomenon that was celebrated in the Selangor government’s New Village Festival held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil last weekend.

Ng said the event was aimed at promoting the economy of new villages and their cultural heritage, adding that it attracted over 50,000 visitors.

“New villages should not be phased out due to the changing times. We must actively preserve them and, through various activities, maintain this important history of our country.

“These are the things that a government should do instead of inciting racial sentiments and misleading the people, unlike some individuals,” he said.

Stoking racial flames

Ng said the state government had also initiated the Baik Selangor programme to stimulate the economy of new villages by helping the cottage industry to scale up.

There were also Malay business owners participating in Baik Selangor, which underscored the importance of new villages as valuable social assets, he added.

In view of this, Ng criticised Ismail for distorting the facts and revealing his narrow-mindedness and inability to accommodate multiculturalism.

“It is obvious that he was raising these questions with the upcoming state elections in mind. He wants to provoke racial sentiments and conflicts among the people so that they can continue to maintain their victories in Kelantan and Terengganu.

“We hope that voters can see clearly which coalition is truly working for the economy, upholding the Constitution, and respecting diversity.

“I believe that many voters see that clearly and will make a wise decision,” he claimed.

Ismail posed a few bizarre written parliamentary questions in the last session, including the government’s rationale for “recognising” citizens born after Merdeka regardless of “skin colour”.

He also asked the home minister why new villages were still being maintained and whether communism still exists in those places.

Saifuddin replied that new villages were established during the emergency era to handle the threat of the communist insurgents.

The idea behind this plan was to move Chinese villagers in scattered, isolated settlements in the forest outskirts into new villages in order to prevent communist insurgents from threatening or receiving logistical help or information from them.

The PAS parliamentarian also asked why a “state government” had issued a banning order to all mosques in the state to lower the volume of the call to prayers (azan).

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) simply responded that there was no such order in any state.

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