JENGKA: Amendments to the Land (Group Settlement Areas) Act 1960 are among the measures being reviewed to resolve long-standing issues affecting the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), particularly housing for second-generation settlers, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the move would allow more than one home to be built on a residential lot, adding that Felda has been directed to complete the draft amendments within two months.
He said the amendments would be presented to the Cabinet and tabled in Parliament this year.
He also addressed issues involving about 8,000 housing units, each with two homes built on a single lot, that have been occupied since Dec 31 last year.
“While we wait for the amendment to be passed, I am giving immediate approval for water and electricity supplies to be restored,” he said in his speech at the Felda Settlers’ Day and Felda’s 70th anniversary celebration at Stadium Tun Abdul Razak here yesterday.
On the Felda New Generation Housing Project, which began in 2013, Anwar said it comprises 43 sites and 8,024 housing units.
He added that 12 sites have been completed, while 13 are still under construction.
He said delays in the project were caused by various factors, including poor planning and ineffective monitoring.
“I have asked the management to closely review each project, with progress reports to be issued every two months,” he said.
Anwar also announced measures to address issues related to the Sentuhan Kasih Felda projects through a RM20mil allocation.
As for Felda Generation Lots, he said some 31,954 lots have been identified, with 21,932 yet to receive land titles.
“We will discuss this matter with the state governments, as previous agreements stipulated that the infrastructure costs would be borne by the states.
“However, I know there is a need for further discussion and negotiation, as is being done between the Pahang state government and the Federal Government,” he said, adding that the matter would be raised at the next Meeting of Menteri Besar and Chief Ministers, which he chairs.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the government spends almost RM1bil annually to settle Felda’s debts.
“Is this the settler community’s fault? No. It is the fault of the management or those entrusted with the responsibility who have misused the funds.
“We must not repeat this mistake.
“The amounts we pay to service these debts could instead be used for the settler community,” he said.
