11 NGOs unite to stop Felda listing

Dec 29: Eleven non-governmental organisations have joined hands to form the Save Felda Movement (GSF) aimed at stopping the listing of Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH) on Bursa Malaysia next year.

UNITED ... Mazlan (2nd from right) speaks at the press conference

Leading the group is National Felda Settlers’ Children Association (ANAK), who had been revealing wrongdoings in the land authority and which first opposed the listing, scheduled in April 2012.
ANAK chairman Mazlan Aliman said GSF would organise a road show across the country to urge the government to drop the plan which will affect 112,635 settlers.

According to Mazlan, the new alliance will also meet Gua Musang member of parliament and former Finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to invite him to join the movement.

Mazlan said he had held meeting with Razaleigh who agreed to meet the group.

"Maybe it is time for him to make a stand on the Felda issue as he is one of the key persons when Felda was established,” he said.

GSF, said Mazlan, will approach National Cooperative Organisation of Malaysia (Angkasa) for their views on FGVH's listing, as it involved Felda’s cooperative Koperasi Permodalan Felda Malaysia (KPF), the highest valued cooperative in the country to date at RM13 billion.

“That is why these robbers are eyeing KPF’s shares to be listed on Bursa Malaysia. We want to bring this to Angkasa and ask for their view,” he told a press conference at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kuala Lumpur, which was also attended by National laureate A Samad Said.

Besides ANAK, the other NGOs in GSF are Malay empowerment group Teras, Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim), Ikram, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), Pan-Malaysian Coalition of Islamic Undergraduates  (Gamis), National Muslim Students Organisation (PKPIM), Seniman Paksi Rakyat (Paksi), Kumpulan Media Independent (Kami), Felda Settlers Action Front (Bangkit) and Felcra Participants Action Front (Bapa).

Last week, four KPF members filed an injunction at the Temerloh High Court to stop the public listing of FGVH.

The court set January 4 for hearing the application, a day before KPF's extraordinary general meeting scheduled on January 5, which is part of the injunction sought.