Going beyond the Felda promises
Jimadie Shah OthmanPublished: Mar 1, 2011 6:59 AM | Updated: Apr 30, 2011 1:41 PM
In terms of the many things that make it possible to have a relatively comfortable life, Felda settler Rokiah Lob feels she is not left wanting.
In terms of the many things that make it possible to have a relatively comfortable life, Felda settler Rokiah Lob feels she is not left wanting.
Having been part of the Felda Jengka 22 settlement in Kerdau for 14 years now, the 47-year-old sees no need to build anything more than the wide roads, electricity and water supply that she has enjoyed since moving into the area.
“I don’t think we really need all this development. What we settlers are lacking is knowledge,” she lamented when met near her home, some 150km from the Pahang capital, Kuantan.
Rokiah, who initially didn’t want to be interviewed when approached by Malaysiakini, was referring to religious education for the young in the settlement.
From the time she moved into the settlement, she said, not one ustaz, or religious teacher, had come into the area to enlighten the settlers, who are all Muslims.
“Of course there is religious education (at the mosque), but I’m talking about fadhilat (divine rewards for good deeds)... we want faith, that is what’s important,” she said, asking that she be called Cik Kiah.
Cik Kiah said the many social problems that plagued her settlement were heart-breaking, as there was so much potential of the youth that was being wasted, all because of religious ignorance.
“Ya Allah, these social problems... I remember when I returned recently from performing the haj in Mecca, a child came up and told me three girls gave birth out of wedlock.
“They haven’t even taken their SPM. One of them was a very bright girl,” she said.
Rokiah, who is registered to vote in the coming Kerdau by-election on March 6, remained sceptical about which of the two candidates – BN’s Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad and PAS’ Hassanuddin Salim – would do justice to the lack of religious education in her area.
“Even if the person is an ustaz, if he does not focus on religious education and does not think it’s important, then I don’t see any difference,” she said.
‘Nothing much, after all the minuses’
On the other hand, settler Abd Hamid Mohd Zin, who has been there for 31 years, feels there is more that could be done to better their lot in life.
The jovial 58-year-old, who moved all the way from Kedah in the north to be part of Felda Jengka 22, was ambivalent over his choice of candidates but said the settlers felt they were being short-changed.
Sitting on his motorcycle at a sundry shop near his house, the Kedahan pointed out that the RM1,500 monthly payment handed out to them by the federal agency was far from enough.
“They pay us so little. They pay us RM1,500. Tolak pi, tolak mai, tak banyaklah (minus there, minus here, that’s not much),” he said in a thick Kedah accent.
His friend, who happens to have the same first name and age, Abd Hamid Shafie, was more optimistic of the perks they were getting being part of Felda’s development schemes, especially after Sunday’s visit by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
A self-professed BN supporter, he admitted that there were still issues, such as transfer of land ownership to settlers’ wives or children upon their death, and payments to settlers for land that they have worked on.
But Abd Hamid Shafie was more than happy with Najib’s pledge to allow settlers to cash in on the RM13,000 CESS payments owed to them by Felda, despite their having griped about the issue since the time of their former assemblyperson, the late Zaharuddin Abu Kassim.
‘No, we’re not okay’
A young settler, Saifudin Ibrahim, was far less enthusiastic when asked what he thought of the settlers’ prospects, especially that of the youth.
Having chosen to be a settler, the 28-year-old said there were about 300 youths just like him who found it simply tough to get started.
“We haven’t got the land that they promised to give us,” said Saifuddin, making no effort to conceal his disdain for the past BN state representatives and the ruling coalition’s “unsatisfactory performance”.
Saifudin was also unimpressed by the sudden deluge of projects coming into their area, repeatedly saying that things were not “okay”.
“Many things are not okay. In this area, things are not okay. They never built the futsal (court). Only with the by-election, they started building a multi-purpose hall,” he said.
Felda Jengka 22 is one of four key areas – including Felda Jengka 23 and 25 and Felcra Rumpun Makmur – that will be a measure of the Malay voters’ support for BN.
Accounting for 3,721 voters, the four settlements are crucial to both BN and PAS as the figure represents more than a third of the 8,999 people registered to cast their ballots on March 6.
Having been part of the Felda Jengka 22 settlement in Kerdau for 14 years now, the 47-year-old sees no need to build anything more than the wide roads, electricity and water supply that she has enjoyed since moving into the area.
“I don’t think we really need all this development. What we settlers are lacking is knowledge,” she lamented when met near her home, some 150km from the Pahang capital, Kuantan.
Rokiah, who initially didn’t want to be interviewed when approached by Malaysiakini, was referring to religious education for the young in the settlement.From the time she moved into the settlement, she said, not one ustaz, or religious teacher, had come into the area to enlighten the settlers, who are all Muslims.
“Of course there is religious education (at the mosque), but I’m talking about fadhilat (divine rewards for good deeds)... we want faith, that is what’s important,” she said, asking that she be called Cik Kiah.
Cik Kiah said the many social problems that plagued her settlement were heart-breaking, as there was so much potential of the youth that was being wasted, all because of religious ignorance.
“Ya Allah, these social problems... I remember when I returned recently from performing the haj in Mecca, a child came up and told me three girls gave birth out of wedlock.
“They haven’t even taken their SPM. One of them was a very bright girl,” she said.
Rokiah, who is registered to vote in the coming Kerdau by-election on March 6, remained sceptical about which of the two candidates – BN’s Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad and PAS’ Hassanuddin Salim – would do justice to the lack of religious education in her area.
“Even if the person is an ustaz, if he does not focus on religious education and does not think it’s important, then I don’t see any difference,” she said.
‘Nothing much, after all the minuses’
On the other hand, settler Abd Hamid Mohd Zin, who has been there for 31 years, feels there is more that could be done to better their lot in life.
The jovial 58-year-old, who moved all the way from Kedah in the north to be part of Felda Jengka 22, was ambivalent over his choice of candidates but said the settlers felt they were being short-changed.Sitting on his motorcycle at a sundry shop near his house, the Kedahan pointed out that the RM1,500 monthly payment handed out to them by the federal agency was far from enough.
“They pay us so little. They pay us RM1,500. Tolak pi, tolak mai, tak banyaklah (minus there, minus here, that’s not much),” he said in a thick Kedah accent.
His friend, who happens to have the same first name and age, Abd Hamid Shafie, was more optimistic of the perks they were getting being part of Felda’s development schemes, especially after Sunday’s visit by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.A self-professed BN supporter, he admitted that there were still issues, such as transfer of land ownership to settlers’ wives or children upon their death, and payments to settlers for land that they have worked on.
But Abd Hamid Shafie was more than happy with Najib’s pledge to allow settlers to cash in on the RM13,000 CESS payments owed to them by Felda, despite their having griped about the issue since the time of their former assemblyperson, the late Zaharuddin Abu Kassim.
‘No, we’re not okay’
A young settler, Saifudin Ibrahim, was far less enthusiastic when asked what he thought of the settlers’ prospects, especially that of the youth.
Having chosen to be a settler, the 28-year-old said there were about 300 youths just like him who found it simply tough to get started.“We haven’t got the land that they promised to give us,” said Saifuddin, making no effort to conceal his disdain for the past BN state representatives and the ruling coalition’s “unsatisfactory performance”.
Saifudin was also unimpressed by the sudden deluge of projects coming into their area, repeatedly saying that things were not “okay”.
“Many things are not okay. In this area, things are not okay. They never built the futsal (court). Only with the by-election, they started building a multi-purpose hall,” he said.
Felda Jengka 22 is one of four key areas – including Felda Jengka 23 and 25 and Felcra Rumpun Makmur – that will be a measure of the Malay voters’ support for BN.
Accounting for 3,721 voters, the four settlements are crucial to both BN and PAS as the figure represents more than a third of the 8,999 people registered to cast their ballots on March 6.
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