PEKAN, June 14 — A total of 38,654 or 89.63 per cent of the 43,126 settlers in Pahang have received land titles covering an area of 182,000 hectares, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
He said based on the current price of land, the state government had ‘sacrificed’ land worth more than RM40 billion for granting the land titles to ensure settlers enjoyed a better and more comfortable life in Pahang.
“As such, I remind the settlers to take good care of the land and never lease or sell it after receiving the land titles.
“This is because the original intention of the state government and the Federal government under Barisan Nasional (BN) to establish the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) was for the purpose of land development and to protect the interests of the Malay community, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Wan Rosdy said this when speaking at the presentation of land titles to 156 settlers of Tanah Felda Chini Timur 1 at Dewan Semai Bakti Chini Timur 3 here, today. Also present was Pekan Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Felda chairman Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.
Meanwhile, a recipient, Suahilai Md Tai, 65, described the granting of the land title as a ‘victory’ for his hard work over 30 years, clearing forests and converting to farms.
“I became a settler in 1985 and after so long, I can finally hold my own land title. This is a legacy for my grandchildren, so they have a home to gather in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Juaitar Abd Manaf, 62, said she was overcome with sadness when fellow settlers could not feel the joy of possessing the land title deed after struggling to clear the planned land without any modern equipment.
“I followed my husband here, today and after a long time I was reminded of how difficult life had been. To earn RM100 was so difficult but thanks to our patience, income is now improving and is stable.
“Children are also growing up with Felda money. Although not living luxuriously, our life is still good because we have comfortable homes in Felda areas and the welfare of the settlers is always taken care of,” she said. — Bernama
