Filepic of a Perumahan Generasi Baharu Felda (PGBF) housing unit. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced a scheme whereby rental paid by PGBF occupants will be counted as their deposit when they buy PGBF houses.
SINCE the Felda land settlement scheme was established in 1956, the government has always stressed the importance of the settlers’ development and wellbeing.
On July 14, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced an allocation of almost RM65mil for the implementation of five initiatives.
One of these aims to help second generation settlers own homes under the Perumahan Generasi Baharu Felda (PGBF) scheme. For example, RM7.6mil in accumulated monthly rental already paid by 2,025 PGBF occupants will be counted as their deposit when they buy PGBF houses.
According to Pertubuhan Satu Silaturahim Anak Felda (1SAF) chairman Mohammad Yahya Zakaria, many abandoned housing projects under PGBF are now close to being resolved, as Felda has put in place a system whereby houses that are 70% completed will be given priority to expedite their full construction.
The prime minister’s initiatives include a fund of RM20mil under the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme, which serves as collateral for housing loans taken by the new generation of Felda settlers. Thus, they are relieved of the burden of finding their own collateral.
Felda Youth Council president Muhammad Fadzli Hassan says the young Felda folks are relieved that various initiatives have been launched by Ismail Sabri to help them.
Muhammad Fadzli shares that many young settlers run small businesses and do not have the relevant documents to get bank loans.
“We told the prime minister about our problem and were surprised that he acted on the matter and introduced the credit guarantee as a solution.”
A lot more space has been created for Felda youths to be heard.
“Before this, there was no platform for us to speak out. Now we can do much more to improve the lives of settlers and make Felda a greater success,” says Muhammad Fadzli.
‘I always hear that the two main issues that young settlers face are housing and job opportunities in Felda areas,’ said Ismail Sabri.
Pertubuhan Suara Generasi Baru Felda chairman A. Rashid Ridha Muhamad says that Ismail Sabri’s push for a younger representative on Felda’s board of directors is a positive step.
Ismail Sabri explained in February that this step is to recognise the role of youths in helping to develop Felda.
The statistics then showed that only 440,000 of 2.1 million new generation settlers remain on 317 Felda land schemes nationwide while about 1.6 million have migrated to towns outside Felda.
Because of this, Felda is forced to employ foreign workers to maintain its oil palm and rubber plantations.
There are homes which are empty because the settlers’ children are not interested in agricultural work.
Yet, the young generation is needed to continue the legacy of early settlers and ensure that settlements are not emptied out.
“I always hear that the two main issues that young settlers face are housing and job opportunities in Felda area,” said Ismail Sabri.
In July, Ismail Sabri announced that the government would provide opportunities to the new generation to expand their businesses through the revolving RM10mil Felda Youth Entrepreneurs Fund. This involves interest-free loans of RM5,000 to RM20,000.
Rashid says the pandemic caused many Felda children to lose their jobs elsewhere and thus they have returned to their parents’ homes.
“As the prime minister has expressed that Felda should become the food warehouse of Malaysia, many of the returnees started rearing chicken, rabbits, goats and kelulut honey bees. Others plant vegetables, chillies and other crops,” he says.
While many programmes have been implemented in Felda areas, Rashid says the young generation still need adequate skills and training to succeed in their ventures.
Mohammad Yahya of 1SAF says these initiatives show that the government is serious about seeing Felda play a role in ensuring the country’s food security.
“There is extra land in Felda schemes that can be utilised by the second generation to work on new agricultural projects,” he says.
Luthfi Mohd Adam, a second-generation settler and youth leader at Felda Tanjung Rambutan in Perak, plans to apply for a RM30,000 loan from the Young Entrepreneurs Fund to raise chickens and goats.
“The fund is something new for us since no other government has initiated such a scheme to assist Felda settlers,” he says.
In the 2023 Budget, the government pledged to allocate RM2.6bil for Felda, Felcra and Risda, as the main agencies that regulate plantation commodities.
Ismail Sabri has assured Felda settlers that the government would continue to take care of them.
At the Himpunan Keluarga Felda, Teguh Bersama event on Oct 27 at Felda Mayam in the prime minister’s own Bera constituency in Pahang, Ismail Sabri described the settlers as “very loyal voters” in the history of the Barisan Nasional government who are “our real fixed deposit”.
“I guarantee that if we win big, there will be political stability, and our economy will improve. The ones to benefit will be all of you loyal citizens.”
