Felda chief Mohd Isa Samad is installing himself as head in several entities within Felda in an attempt to consolidate his power, breaching several laws in the process, said NGO Anak.

NONEAnak chairperson Mazlan Aliman (right) today alleged that the move is aimed at eliminating all dissenting voices to the listing of Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH).


Backing his claims, Mazlan cited a letter dated March 21 issued to Koperasi Permodalan Felda (KPF) informing the cooperative that a Felda board meeting had agreed to appoint Mohd Isa as the new chairperson effective March 23.

"If they want to appoint a new chairperson, KPF must call for a general meeting. How can he be appointed without the consent of KPF?" he said at a press conference at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

This, he said, has raised the question over who is the legitimate KPF chief as the Malaysian Cooperative Commission still lists Zulkifli Abdul Wahab as chairperson of KPF.

Furthermore, Mazlan added that the decision was made at a board meeting that was personally chaired by Mohd Isa himself.

Under the listing plan, FGVH will acquire 51 percent of KPF's stake in Felda Holdings, and in return, KPF which represents Felda settlers, will receive part of a 37 percent stake in FGVH.

A shareholding company will be set up to oversee the 37 percent stake, 80 percent of which belongs to KPF and another 20 percent will be owned by "strategic partners".

“The representative of KPF (to the shareholding company) which is supposed to be elected through KPF's meeting, to our surprise, is also Mohd Isa," lamented Mazlan.

‘It’s a power grab’

More troubling, Mazlan said Felda Plantations Sdn Bhd - a subsidiary of Felda Holdings which manages 367,710 hectares land - has changed its name to Felda Global Ventures Plantation despite the Securities Commission has yet to approve FGVH's listing.

"Initially, there were 12 board members but after the name was changed, only four board members were left - two of them are secretaries and the other two are Mohd Isa and FGVH chief executive officer Sabri Ahmad," he said.

Mohd Isa, Mazlan added, had also ousted three KPF representatives from Felda Holdings.

"This means Mohd Isa is in control of everything - he controls Felda Holding, Felda Plantation, KPF, everything is controlled by him. A power grab is going on in Felda," he said.

Describing Mohd Isa as a 'mad man', Mazlan said he has bulldozed all the procedures, laws and regulations in Felda.

"We have lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on April 12 about this abuse of power... they have assured me that they will complete the investigation within a month," he said.

Anak to hold convention next Sunday

In a separate matter, Mazlan announced the Felda movement will be holding a high-powered conference next Sunday to discuss the fate of settlers following the plan to list the plantation giant on Bursa Malaysia.

"In light of the listing plan, we are holding this convention to put the spotlight on it, especially given that the government has claimed that this would put Felda on the global stage," he said.

Mazlan said the conference will be inviting several prominent Umno veterans including former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam, former minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The conference is expected to discuss the following matters:

  • The future of second and third generation of Felda settlers
  • The role of Felda cooperatives in the socio-economic development of Felda settlements
  • The creation of Felda intellectuals, including the creation of a Felda university
  • Improvements to Felda subsidiaries

Mazlan said the one-day conference on April 22 at Selangor Industrial University (Unisel) is expected to draw some 1,000 participants, including MPs from both sides of the divide, academics, government officials and Felda settlers.

VIDEO l 13.22 mins

Felda boss rebuts opposition's claims