Ulu Yam vegetable farms would
be flattened in three weeks unless and until the Prime Minister really
means business when he spoke about making agriculture the third engine
of economic growth
Media Statement
by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew
(Petaling Jaya,
Thursday): It was
reported widely in the press on Wednesday that MCA President Datuk Seri Ong
Ka Ting will look into the plight of the vegetable farmers seriously,
including those from Ulu Yam. Their hopes were short-lived as they were told
in a meeting with their advisor Datuk Ch’ng Toh Eng later on the same day
that they have to give up their farms within three weeks! They have asked
for another six months as a grace period but the request was turned down by
Ch’ng on the spot. They were also warned not to seek help from the
opposition parties.
If the Prime Minister really
means business when he spoke about making agriculture the third engine of
growth in his last Budget speech, he should now intervene immediately to
save the 600 acres of vegetable farms in Ulu Yam. He should also teach the
Selangor Menteri Besar a lesson for ¡§lawan tauke¡¨ as Datuk Seri
Khir Toyo has openly defied his national policy. The MB has refused to back
off from turning the invaluable farms into a housing estate through PNSB, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of the Selangor State Government.
On the other hand, Ong Ka Ting
continues to display his publicity prowess by telling the press that the Ulu
Yam farmers can stay on as long as their lands were not used for the housing
project. He also said that he has ordered Ch’ng Toh Eng to help the
farmers. He has, of course, chosen not to mention the fact that the farmers
have merely three more weeks to pack and go. Malaysian public who depends
solely on the newspapers for information might still think that the MCA
President has started his works on saving the Ulu Yam farms!
Ong has also disclosed to the
press that the Cabinet yesterday has responded positively on the issue of
illegal farm lands. It was reported earlier that out of the 360,000 acres of
vegetable farms in the country, more than 70 percent were illegal in the
sense that their applications of land were not approved. If that’s the
case, the Cabinet should prove its worth by immediately order the Selangor
MB to halt the housing project and take steps to legalize the Ulu Yam farms.
After all, it’s the responsibility of the Cabinet to look after the
interest of the farmers and to defend its national policy, instead of
allowing the state investment arm to snatch the lands away from the
powerless farmers. Lip service is no service.
(24/2/2005)
* Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew,
DAP International Secretary and NGO bureau chief
|
http://dapmalaysia.org