No plans to divide Felda land to new settlers

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has no plans to divide the 341,000 hectare Felda land, which is being managed by Felda Plantations, to a new generation of settlers, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan.

The reason, he said, was that the government feared that they might sell the land which was not subjected to the Group Settlement Act 1960.

"There are 1.6 million young generation of settlers, and if divided with 341,000 hectares, each of them will get 0.2 hectares, but the land is not subjected to GSA and they can either sell or mortgage it," he told a media conference at the Parliament lobby on Thursday, June 16.

Ahmad said 100,000 hectares of the land was in Sabah, where there were only about 1,600 people.

"This will anger settlers in Sabah if the land is to be divided," he added.

He was commenting on the Opposition's Orange Book which stated that they would dissolve Felda Plantations and give the land to the children and grandchildren of the settlers.

Ahmad said Felda did not receive any allocation from the government.

"The income, and annual budget of RM1.6 million, comes from the land. What Felda gets it is returned to the settlers and their children.

"Felda also pay salary to 23,000 employees and 60,000 estate workers," he added. — Bernama