Zaid to voters: I’ll give 100% of myself

By Stephanie Sta Maria
FMT EXCLUSIVE KUALA LUMPUR: Zaid Ibrahim has no qualms about calling a spade a spade. And in a world where most prefer to call it a rake, this hasn't won him any gold stars. But it has earned him something much better – the opportunity to be the second opposition MP for Hulu Selangor.
Named as candidate just days before official campaigning kicks off, one would assume that Zaid would be huddled with his team poring over the final details of his campaign blueprint.
But the lawyer-turned-politician confessed that he didn't have a sophisticated strategy.
“I've been an MP before,” he said in an exclusive interview with FMT, referring to his one term in Kota Baru. “My strategy now is no different than it was back then. Listen to the people and resolve their issues. There is no need for any fanfare. I want to win on the basis of the people's trust in my ability to serve them, not on any campaign promises.”
Zaid isn't called a troubleshooter for nothing. And right now, he has a decided list of Hulu Selangor grievances that he aims to strike off one by one.
At the top of the list is land rights, especially those of settlers on Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) schemes, and of the Orang Asli.
He said Felda settlers in Hulu Selangor have suffered immensely over the last 30 years simply because Felda has not shared its wealth with them.
“There are two sides to Felda,” he said. “One involves the 180,000 settlers who work the land, earn a monthly salary and receive dividends. Then there is the corporate Felda, which is the largest plantation company in the world. It is worth RM50 billion. The problem is that there is no bridge linking the two sides.”
“Almost 80 percent of settlers are still borrowing money from Felda to cultivate Felda-owned land. Felda then imposes various charges on them, makes deductions from their proceeds and even competes with them in the sale of produce.
“At the end of the day, the settlers are left with a small income of about RM1,500 a month and a mountain of debts. This is outrageous.”
Land titles to settlers
Zaid noted that Felda's original mission, set by former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak, was to give land to the landless, to cultivate and thereby earn a decent income. It strayed from this mission when it began dipping its fingers into other businesses.
“Felda is for the people,” Zaid asserted. “Whatever is done under the Felda name must be for the settlers' benefit. Felda cannot be used to create wealth for the industry or the country. Do the settlers have a say in Felda's investments? Do they know how the money is spent? Are they satisfied with how Felda is run?
“Of greater concern is whose interest takes priority — that of the settlers or of the business? There may be certain measures that need to be taken to enhance the settlers' wellbeing but which would not boost profitability. And if the business is badly run, do the settlers have to pay the price?
“The management of Felda has to be more transparent and the voice of the settlers must be heard at the highest level. They cannot just be ordinary workers helping the industry. They must be properly represented and their rights must be acknowledged because Felda is for them.”
Zaid said he would propose a task force composed of accountants, economists and lawyers to re-examine all of Felda's operations. The team would also push the state government to provide housing and employment opportunities for the children of second-generation settlers, as well as grant overdue land titles to settlers.
He would head this task force himself, and believes he would have enough influence with the state government to ensure that things get done.
“As for the Orang Asli, they fear that they will one day lose their land and be displaced,” he said. “I have been championing their rights for a long time now and I will make sure the state hears them.”
Another plan on his list is to give Hulu Selangor's economy a much-needed boost through investment in the district. Noting that Hulu Selangor had long been a neglected area, he said economic development would be a key focus if he won the seat.
“There has to be more factories to reduce the unemployment rate,” he said. “And it's time for the long-talked-about institute of higher learning to be built in the area.
“Lack of housing is another grave concern. There are so many abandoned housing projects in Hulu Selangor, particularly in Hulu Bernam, and I will work very hard to rescue as many of these projects as possible.”

A national dimension
Turning his attention to welfare and citizenship issues, Zaid said problems over these were “inexcusable”. However, he said they were caused only by administrative botch-ups and were not insurmountable.
“These are not new problems,” he said. “We can't provide instant solutions, but we can start facilitating the solutions by being more accessible to the people and by placing good, committed staff in the district office to serve them. The district office can definitely make it easier for these people and I will personally make sure of this.”
“But many of these issues are federal-related. Unfortunately, we are not running the federal government. So the outcome of our efforts will be limited. We can't issue identification cards, for example.
“What we can do, though, is to raise these issues with the federal government and keep pressuring it to take action.”
Zaid is certain that his election as Hulu Selangor MP would not constrict his service to the district alone. He believes every local issue has a national dimension and a good MP is one who can attend to the needs of the constituency and at the same time articulate and defend policies of national importance. He strongly believes that he is the man for that job.
The Pakatan Rakyat coordinator is also well aware that he will have his work cut out for him should he win. Not only will he have his hands full of unresolved issues, he will also be expected to be more visible than his predecessor was. But he remains unruffled by these expectations.
“I will have a lot of catching up to do,” he admitted. “But I believe the people understand the unfortunate circumstances related to the late Zainal Abidin Ahmad and won't punish us for it. The expectations are high but not unrealistic.
“I'm not a big-time businessman, nor do I hold directorships in 20 companies. I am a fulltime politician. And I'm committed to giving the residents of Hulu Selangor 100 percent of myself.”