Settlers demonstrate but fail to submit memo to Negeri MB.
VIDEO INSIDE
JEMPOL: A decades-old land dispute in Negeri Sembilan has taken a new twist with Penang Deputy Chief Minister ll P Ramasamy offering his help in resolving it.
Ramasamy said yesterday he would represent the disgruntled settlers of Kampung Serampang Indah, Jempol, in negotiations with Thamarai Holdings, the other party in the dispute.
He made the pledge after a meeting with the settlers, who are often referred to as “Gatco settlers”. Gatco was the company that held the lease on the agricultural land when the settlers purchased it more than 35 years ago.
This morning, about 100 of the settlers demonstrated outside Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan’s office, but failed to hand over to him a memorandum asking him to use his powers under the Land Acquisition Act to help them.
Accompanied by Pakatan Rakyat and Hindraf leaders, they displayed banners and placards condemning
Mohamad and Thamarai Holdings.
An official at Mohamad’s office, Zulkefli Awang, appeared at about 10.30am and offered to receive the memorandum on the Menteri Besar’s behalf, but Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy demurred.
According to Zulkefli, Mohamad was at a state exco meeting that would end only at 12.30pm.
Waythamoorthy said he would wait, prompting a settler to shout: “We waited for 30 years; so we don’t mind waiting for a few more hours.”
At about 1pm, Zulkefli appeared again and told Waythamoorthy that Mohamad was unable to receive the memorandum because the meeting had not ended.
This sparked angry reactions from the settlers and Waythamoorthy used a hailer to declare that Mohamad was afraid.
“The Menteri Besar is fearful of people’s power,” he said. “Never mind, we’ll give him a chance. We give him one week to find the courage to face us.
“We will be back next week.”
The crowd then dispersed.
Violence
At yesterday’s meeting with P Ramasamy, the settlers spoke about the violence that occurred last Thursday when they tried to prevent workers from cutting down their rubber trees. They alleged they were attacked by a large number of youths armed with rattan canes and that a woman was injured.
Ramasamy hit out at the police for not taking action against the attackers.
“The police did not arrest the gangsters, but detained a few settlers,” he said. “Are they abetting the gangsters?”
Ramasamy has been trying to help the settlers since the early 1980s, when he was associated with an NGO called Insan.
“Sometime in 1982 or 1983, when I was still working as a lecturer in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Gatco settlers approached me for some help,” he told FMT.
“It’s been 20 years now. The times have changed and so has the character of the problem.
“The first thing I’ll do tomorrow when I return to Penang is to arrange a meeting with the boss of Thamarai Holdings. I will negotiate with him to find a proper solution to end this dispute that has been dragging on for too long.”
The settlers’ problem started in 1977, when 400 of them paid deposits for the purchase of agricultural land from Gatco.
However, Gatco became bankrupt in 1983 and the land was put up for auction in 2004. The settlers paid RM320,000 in earnest deposit to auctioneer Singam and Young Associates.
Subsequently, however, Singam and Young sold off the land to Thamarai Holdings for RM16 million.
Senawang state assemblyman P Gunasekaran, who was at yesterday’s meeting, referred to a promise the Menteri Besar made last July that he would ensure the settlers would each receive four acres of land.
“But until today, the offer has not been backed by any document,” he said.
Port Dickson state assemblyman M Ravi also criticised Mohamad, saying he was merely using the issue for political gain.
“Where is there such a thing as free land?” he said. “This is not his father’s land. This is the settler’s land. They each bought eight acres for RM7, 600 in 1977.
“And where are the so-called Indian champions, Rajagopalu and Mogan?” T Rajagopalu is the Negeri Sembilan MIC chief and VS Mogan is a state executive councilor.
Gatco settlers fail to submit memorandum to NS MB.
VIDEO INSIDE
JEMPOL: A decades-old land dispute in Negeri Sembilan has taken a new twist with Penang Deputy Chief Minister ll P Ramasamy offering his help in resolving it.Ramasamy said yesterday he would represent the disgruntled settlers of Kampung Serampang Indah, Jempol, in negotiations with Thamarai Holdings, the other party in the dispute.
He made the pledge after a meeting with the settlers, who are often referred to as “Gatco settlers”. Gatco was the company that held the lease on the agricultural land when the settlers purchased it more than 35 years ago.
This morning, about 100 of the settlers demonstrated outside Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan’s office, but failed to hand over to him a memorandum asking him to use his powers under the Land Acquisition Act to help them.
Accompanied by Pakatan Rakyat and Hindraf leaders, they displayed banners and placards condemning
Mohamad and Thamarai Holdings.An official at Mohamad’s office, Zulkefli Awang, appeared at about 10.30am and offered to receive the memorandum on the Menteri Besar’s behalf, but Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy demurred.
According to Zulkefli, Mohamad was at a state exco meeting that would end only at 12.30pm.
Waythamoorthy said he would wait, prompting a settler to shout: “We waited for 30 years; so we don’t mind waiting for a few more hours.”
At about 1pm, Zulkefli appeared again and told Waythamoorthy that Mohamad was unable to receive the memorandum because the meeting had not ended.
This sparked angry reactions from the settlers and Waythamoorthy used a hailer to declare that Mohamad was afraid.
“The Menteri Besar is fearful of people’s power,” he said. “Never mind, we’ll give him a chance. We give him one week to find the courage to face us.
“We will be back next week.”
The crowd then dispersed.
Violence
At yesterday’s meeting with P Ramasamy, the settlers spoke about the violence that occurred last Thursday when they tried to prevent workers from cutting down their rubber trees. They alleged they were attacked by a large number of youths armed with rattan canes and that a woman was injured.Ramasamy hit out at the police for not taking action against the attackers.
“The police did not arrest the gangsters, but detained a few settlers,” he said. “Are they abetting the gangsters?”
Ramasamy has been trying to help the settlers since the early 1980s, when he was associated with an NGO called Insan.
“Sometime in 1982 or 1983, when I was still working as a lecturer in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Gatco settlers approached me for some help,” he told FMT.
“It’s been 20 years now. The times have changed and so has the character of the problem.
“The first thing I’ll do tomorrow when I return to Penang is to arrange a meeting with the boss of Thamarai Holdings. I will negotiate with him to find a proper solution to end this dispute that has been dragging on for too long.”
The settlers’ problem started in 1977, when 400 of them paid deposits for the purchase of agricultural land from Gatco.
However, Gatco became bankrupt in 1983 and the land was put up for auction in 2004. The settlers paid RM320,000 in earnest deposit to auctioneer Singam and Young Associates.
Subsequently, however, Singam and Young sold off the land to Thamarai Holdings for RM16 million.
Senawang state assemblyman P Gunasekaran, who was at yesterday’s meeting, referred to a promise the Menteri Besar made last July that he would ensure the settlers would each receive four acres of land.
“But until today, the offer has not been backed by any document,” he said.
Port Dickson state assemblyman M Ravi also criticised Mohamad, saying he was merely using the issue for political gain.
“Where is there such a thing as free land?” he said. “This is not his father’s land. This is the settler’s land. They each bought eight acres for RM7, 600 in 1977.“And where are the so-called Indian champions, Rajagopalu and Mogan?” T Rajagopalu is the Negeri Sembilan MIC chief and VS Mogan is a state executive councilor.
Gatco settlers fail to submit memorandum to NS MB.
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