PETALING JAYA: Resolutions from a meeting by Felda and FGV Holdings Bhd’s (FGV) directors on the warning notices issued by the Terengganu state government on their plantation lots will be presented at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting.
Deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also rural and regional development minister, said the directors were meeting today to draft recommendations and solutions to the matter.
“I will personally bring their resolutions to the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
“I expect several recommendations to be forwarded to me, and I will present them to the Cabinet so that immediate action can be taken,” Bernama reported him as saying after his ministry’s monthly assembly here today.
When asked, Zahid said it was not necessary to draft a special task force to prevent similar disputes in other states, adding that he saw no “real problem”.
“This can be brought to the National Land Council or discussed with the respective menteris besar and chief ministers. We usually resolve matters at that level, not through legal action or eviction proceedings.
“Everything can be negotiated, even with states not aligned with Putrajaya,” he said.
Zahid also said that while no date had been set for him to meet Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar on the issue, it would happen “as soon as possible”.
The Terengganu government recently served notices of unlawful occupation on plantation lots in Besut, Setiu, Dungun, Hulu Terengganu, Marang and Kemaman covering about 15,000ha of land owned by Felda and FGV.
It claimed that no land premiums, taxes or profit-sharing had been paid to the state government for over 40 years.
On Tuesday, Felda and FGV issued a joint statement saying they were conducting a comprehensive review of all documents related to the state government’s notices, covering historical records, payment details, land premiums, ownership status and development conditions.
