Samka mulls settling with Pahang govt to focus on other legal threats

Summary

• Save Musang King Alliance is mulling a settlement with the Pahang government.

• This is because it says it is facing a new threat, a company that it claims has occupied farms, evicted farmers and tagged trees without providing proof of collaboration with the government.

Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) is considering reaching a settlement with the Pahang government over unlicensed durian farms.

It cited the emergence of a new legal threat, a company that it claims has occupied farms, evicted farmers and tagged trees while refusing to provide proof of collaboration with the state government.

“In light of recent developments, including the emergence of a more aggressive corporate entity, and after consulting our legal team and all litigants, Samka is considering an out-of-court settlement with Royal Pahang Durian Resources (RPD).

“This will allow us to redirect our limited legal resources to face a more pressing threat posed by a newly formed company,” it said in a statement today.

Samka expressed its belief that the company, which was named in the statement, intends to profit off the work of farmers without providing compensation.

The Pahang government is attempting to reclaim unlicensed durian farms on a large scale through a joint venture between state statutory body Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Pahang (PKPP) and a royalty-linked private company, Royal Pahang Durian Resources (RPDR).

This led to a clash between farmers and state personnel in April, which occurred while the latter were clearing Musang King trees on disputed land near Sungai Klau.

Impact on farmers

Commenting further, Samka said the new company may be seeking control of up to 6,000 acres (2,428.1ha) of unlicensed durian farms.

This exceeds the area contested by the state government and impacts hundreds more farmers, it added.

Citing data from the Companies Commission, it said the company’s directors are from Penang and Sarawak.

The company was also formed less than a year ago, it said.

“Samka urges the Pahang government to explain how such a vast area of land was granted to non-Pahang individuals and why these outsiders are being permitted to profit from the labour of local farmers without their consent or any form of accountability,” it said.

Malaysiakini is contacting the new company for a reply.

Previously, the farmers claimed the Pahang government had violated a court order by cutting down hundreds of the Musang King trees.

In response, the Pahang government denied it violated a court order, with state legal adviser Saiful Edris Zainuddin saying the trees were on illegally occupied land, which meant the trees were not protected by the court order.

The Court of Appeal had also rejected the farmers’ application for a stay of an eviction order due to the applicants not following the correct legal procedure, Saiful said, reiterating that the land is owned by the government.

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