One
month after meeting the PM, Ladang Bukit Jalil residents fear that
once the election is over, and if BN come to power, then they will use
all their might to demolish the houses.
By S Arutchelvan, FMT
It
is exactly one month since the Ladang Bukit Jalil committee met Prime
Minister Najib Tun Razak. Many people who saw the news of the committee
finally having a date with the PM would have concluded that the issue
of Ladang Bukit Jalil estate workers is over and done with. There was
also the feeling that if the PM met them, definitely it is not to
disappoint them.
Now exactly one month later, the issue of Ladang Bukit Jalil is
still not resolved. The PM asked for some time to study the issue. When
the office of the powerful PM himself asks for more time to study the
issue, it seems the problem in hand is a complex one.
The
meeting with the PM did not just come so easily. The Bukit Jalil
workers camped outside the PM’s office until they got an appointment.
After spending 30 hours, they finally got news that the PM will give an
appointment to meet them. It was a climax of their long struggle.
Not
taking away credit from Najib, the PM did actually meet them (Janji
Ditepati) though there was initially the speculation that he will only
promise but not meet them. A meeting was held at the estate on the eve
of the PM’s meeting. The feedback from the people at the meeting was
that they were all very hopeful that the issue will be finally
resolved.
Politically, the Bukit Jalil issue is torn in the flesh
issue for the MIC and it is one of the major national issue
confronting them as the plight of the Bukit Jalil ex-plantation workers
is a national concern. The issue get lots of coverage in the Tamil
dailies as well as sympathy from most Malaysian Indians. For the PM, it
is important for him to portray that he is accessible and is listening
to the voices of the people.
Now one month after the PM’s
meeting, some fear has crept in. There is now a feeling that the PM’s
meeting was just a drama and once the election is over and if the BN
come to power, then they will use all their might to demolish the
houses.
There is many instances in history when urban poor houses
being demolished just after elections. Therefore any solution to the
Bukit Jalil estate workers has to be done now.
The stumbling block
Legally
DBKL has won the case. Only political pressure seems to have stop them
from carrying out an eviction. But again DBKL got the eviction order
by stating that the ex-plantation workers were just squatters and they
used the draconian Emergency clearance of squatter ordinance on these
workers.
But today, this law has been lifted after Najib
announced the lifting of the four emergencies. It would look very bad
for DBKL to demolish the homes using the Emergency ruling today.
Having
said that, what is then keeping the Prime Minister for giving the
former workers four acres of land out of the 26 acres of land which is
currently available. There seems to be several factors which seem to be
the stumbling block.
I raise three pertinent questions.
1. Not wanting to set a precedent
One
of the main reasons given for not supporting the Bukit Jalil worker’s
demand is that they don’t want to set a precedent. The DBKL and MIC
think that it would be a bad precedent. DBKL has a history of not
giving plantation workers landed property and they claim that many other
kampung and some estates will ask for landed property if they were to
give in.
Here once again capitalist interest becomes the
deciding factor. Though when the government acquired Ladang Bukit Jalil
(LBJ) in 1980, there were 1,800 acres. The government upon acquiring
the land, sold the land piece by piece to private developers such as
Berjaya group, Talam and Ho Hup. The LBJ land was used to develop
luxury houses, tolled highways and golf courses among others. Never did
it cross their mind that they must resolve first the housing needs of
the community where they are developing the land.
Now after all
the prime land being sold for profits, there remain today 26 acres of
land which they plan to make it into a burial ground. What about those
living?
What the Ladang Bukit Jalil ex-workers are asking is only
four acres of the last remaining 26 acres. Why is there a problem in
giving in to these people? Why cannot the people who have been the
longest on the land be allocated land in the same place?
As we
are well aware, this country was built on the toil and sacrifice of,
amongst others, hundreds of thousands of estate workers. Up to 1980s,
the income from rubber and oil palm played a major role in financing
the development of our country. Our country prospered, and plantation
companies reaped fabulous profits, but plantation workers lived in
abject poverty and deprivation generated by below poverty line wages
and the most backward of wage structures. Four acres of land as a
social wage to compensate for their contribution towards the nation is
surely not too much to ask for.
Why is then that such a fair and
noble idea of giving land to the poor and the most deserving being seen
as bad precedent? Bad precedent in whose eyes? It seems that for the
elite classes, these are bad precedents when prime land is given to
poor people. And sadly BN and MIC share this vision.
It is time to set good precedent. Will the ruling party have the political will to do it?
2. The Internal MIC power play
It
is no secret that MIC vice president M Saravanan, who is also the
deputy FT minister, is strongly against the ex-workers getting the land.
Saravanan was instrumental in getting a huge group of people to accept
the relocation to the flats. Here once again, politicians internal
interest in helping supporters and building bases override the question
of justice. The Federal Territory Minister Raja Nong Chik himself
acknowledged in an official statement that of the 71 who have moved to
the flats, only 10 are former plantation workers while the others are
’squatters’. Whereas he stated that the remaining 39 who are still
living on the estate are all former plantation workers.
These
problems are not new. In many cases, politician interfere in helping
their chosen people to get benefits, manoeuvre official census, help
cronies etc. In this case, Saravanan support base is in those who have
moved to the flats. On the other hand, MIC Youth leader T Mohan has
supported the four acres of land asked by the Bukit Jalil workers.
Now
the question being asked for those opposing the four acres demand is –
if we give land to the 41 families, what about those who have already
left to the flats? This issue is used to divide and rule the people.
Even now, those who have left the estates are promised another bulk of
compensation but with condition that only if the remaining 41 also
accepted the flats offer.
It is time MIC come out in the open and
state if they support Bukit Jalil workers getting four acres of land
or not? In the Buah Pala incident, MIC fought so hard that the people
there should be given a landed property in a private land. Here we are
talking about government land. Why can’t MIC put forward the same
argument here?
MIC president G Palanivel also had suggested that
urban hardship is worse than plantation hardship and suggested those
facing these problems go back to the estates. Therefore it would only
make sense that they go back to a piece of land or home which belongs
to them in a community system. Giving Bukit Jalil plantation workers
that four acres will preserve their community life.
Now the time
is right for MIC to put the record straight. But it seems between
Saravanan, Mohan and MIC deputy president Dr S Subramaniam, they seems
to have differing views and differing interest. It is time the MIC
state their position clearly.
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