More homes to be built for Felda settlers

KUALA TERENGGANU: More homes will be built for the second generation of Federal and Land Development Authority (Felda) settlers, as a sign of the government’s gratitude to them.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the houses would cost between RM60,000 and RM70,000.

“Recently I announced that house prices for the second generation of Felda settlers be reduced from RM120,000 to RM90,000. But now, I would like to announce that more houses will be built for them and these houses would only cost between RM60,000 and RM70,000.

“This is because Felda settlers have risked and sacrificed everything they had and placed all their trust in the government.

“Today, they are benefiting from those sacrifices made,” Najib said before launching the 2015 national-level Felda Settlers Day celebration, held at the Gong Badak indoor stadium here yesterday.

On the price of palm oil, he said he had no means to control the rise or plunge in the commodity’s price but assured settlers that the Government would manage Felda.

“The price of the Felda Global Ventures (FGV) shares will rise and fall and that is normal. My advice to settlers is, keep your shares and not to sell them. Let them accumulate and the price will rise.

“For the short term, what we have is the dividend. Last year, we paid a total of RM59.2mil in dividends, I can assure you that Felda has enough of reserves to continue paying such dividends for a long time,” he said.

Najib said the Government was constantly finding ways to ensure that Felda settlers benefit from any major venture.

In June, FGV signed a deal with the Rajawali Group of Indonesia, which plans to strengthen downstream palm oil businesses.

FGV recently bought 37% shares in Indonesian company PT Eagle High Plantation (EHP).

On the Bersih rally, the PM said the organisers were not concerned about the people’s welfare, especially those in the rural areas.

Citing Felda settlers as examples, he said they should know who they could turn to in difficult times.

“Can you ask Bersih 4 people for help? Can we even put a little hope on them?” Najib asked.

“Do you even think those who were involved in Bersih 4 would even develop Felda or care for the welfare of the rural people?” he said.

Quoting reports which estimated that about 20,000 people attended the Bersih rally on Saturday, he said this meant that the 20,000 could have been a little dissatisfied.

“I would like to believe that the rest of the population are with the Government,” Najib said.

“Gathering your supporters is not a big deal. What is 20,000? If we want, we could also gather hundreds of thousands of people. Felda settlers alone could make the numbers,” he said.

Najib said that each government had its own problem.

“We have been going in and coming out of it including major crises in the past,” he said.