Say no to illegal farming, the Musang King issue

By Red Fox

GUEST BLOGGER

I am in disbelief observing the sudden turn of events over the “disputed” land where our reputed Musang King durians are produced in Raub, Pahang.

 

I feel that the Kuantan High Court's decision on Oct 28 to allow a stay of an eviction order until Dec 9 is not doing anyone any good, be it for the farmers, the middlemen or the government. 

ILLEGAL MEANS ILLEGAL. ILLEGALITY BREEDS CONTEMPT. 

A simple concept, yet many turn a blind eye for selfish reasons. 

An act of compassion by the Pahang government to enable the farmers sustainable living (although they have encroached into forest reserve lands illegally) by turning them into legal farmers and to guide them using sustainable cultivation best practices and price stability has turned into a chaotic situation.

I believe that the state government, if given a choice, would not want to evict the farmers. 

The eviction notice was given due to the farmers’ own stubbornness for not wanting to be a legal party ensuring they have the legal lease rights to continue producing durians using sustainable cultivation best practices with MyGAP certification to ensure their durians are export ready. 

Moreover, the State is preparing them to be legal exporters as China (the biggest market of Musang King to date) requires durians imported must be produced by legal farms!

The terms and conditions were discussed with the farmers since July 2019, which is A YEAR BACK! 

I was told by one legal farmer that the Legalisation Scheme was a work in progress since July 2019. 

Until today, only 120 farmers have registered out of the approximately 1,000 undocumented farmers, believed to be farming in the 5,357 acres of land currently in contention, which was leased to RPDR-PKPP on a 10+10+10 years agreement. 

The balance 880 farmers have yet to register. 

 Sounds familiar? 

This bad culture and habit of delaying (JPJ fines, income tax, rent, assessment and any other government statutory payment), hoping the government of the day will give discounts, leeway and etc, just got to STOP! 

This is akin to outright BLACKMAILING! 

Let’s call a spade a spade. 

1. Rightful owner of the “disputed” land is the Pahang government and/or its related state agencies.

2. Farmers have encroached into forest reserve lands, a very serious offence. Yet, they go to court claiming they have legal right and our Land Department being made the defendant? Outright absurdity. 

3. RPDR-PKPP, the legalization scheme company is partly owned by Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Pahang (PKPP), a government state agency! The farmers ARE DEALING with a government agency! Yet, SAMKA, the so-called champion of the farmers keep blinding this fact from the undocumented farmers. PLEASE WAKE UP! 

4. Farmers must learn to comply with internationally recognized MyGAP certification guidelines and keep proper records to pay taxes. If normal citizens have to pay taxes for our hard earned money, shouldn’t they too? They have been given off the hook for so many years as they say they ploughed the land for 30 years! Let me give you a quick calculation of how big the business is in monetary sense; 

- Land size: 5,357 acres.

- One acre, est 30 trees = 5,357 acres x 30 = 160,710 trees.

- 30 trees, est a yield 45 durians per tree = 160,710 x 45 = 7,231,950 durians.

- One durian, est 1.5kg = 7,231,950 x 1.5kg = 10,847,925 kg/10,848 tonnes.

- One kg @ RM30 =10,847,925 X 30 = RM325,437,750  (RDPR-PKPP buys from farmers)

- One kg @ RM45 = 10,847,925 x 45 = RM813,594,375 (Middle men buys from farmers currently) 

- One kg @ RM100 = 10,847,925 x 100 =RM1.8 billion!!! (Potential price export to China) 

5. Illegal farming in any form is raping the natural environment as in the case of Cameron Highlands and has to be curbed. 

6. Price stability. I read that the farmers are assured of a fixed nett price of RM30/kg regardless of whether the market price goes up or down. They don’t lose as well if the price goes down, as what happened to other commodities such as palm, rubber, and more recently fruits ie pineapples, mangoes. But no one seems to think and talk about that. 

7. Government allowed them to farm back in 1974 was due to the World Food Crisis then. Food prices escalated all over the world, including Malaysia. Rancangan Buku Hijau (Green Book Programme) was then launched to encourage citizens to plant and cultivate food and produce within the confines of areas surrounding their house, for their own consumption, DON'T use the Green Book Programme as an excuse to encroach into forest reserve land, commercialized their produce and don’t pay taxes! 

Malaysia will continue to rot if we allow illegal farming to continue with no one to monitor the quality of produce and sustainable cultivation best practices are implemented. 

Politicians and cyber-troopers please stop the intimidation, the slander, the insinuations, and blinding the public on the real facts of the matter. 

STOP being selfish and compromise our country’s repute, economy and sustainable living for the farmers! 

Dr Mahathir's twisted words

 Dr Mahathir came under heavy fire from all sides the other day for his post

RESPECT OTHERS

excerpts

11. Macron is not showing that he is civilised. He is very primitive in blaming the religion of Islam and Muslims for the killing of the insulting school teacher. It is not in keeping with the teachings of Islam. But irrespective of the religion professed, angry people kill. The French in the course of their history has killed millions of people. Many were Muslims.

12. Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past. But by and large the Muslims have not applied the “eye for an eye” law. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings. 

Following all those criticisms, Dr Mahathir followed up that post with this one, 

MISREPRESENTED CONTEXT

excerpts

8. But that is what freedom of speech is to them. On the one hand, they defended those who chose to display offending caricatures of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and expect all Muslims to swallow it in the name of freedom of speech and expression. On the other, they deleted deliberately that Muslims had never sought revenge for the injustice against them in the past.

9. Even my appeal that the French should explain the need to advise their people to be sensitive and respect the beliefs of other people is left out.

 

I have to admit that I'm on Dr Mahathir's side on this one.

His words were indeed twisted.

Really. Just read them properly, okay.

But of course, people have judged Dr Mahathir that way and there's nothing that could be done.

After all, people tend to think of the French aa nice, romantic and civilised.

They have Paris, the city of love and a beautiful language too.

How can Dr Mahathir said all those outrageous things about them, right?

Never mind.

Anyway, maybe if you  have the time, you can read the following article I picked up at https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/frances-colonial-era-crimes-unforgotten-in-algeria/1635943

Algerians still remember France's colonial- era crimes, despite the passage of 65 years since the outbreak of their revolution against the French colonial rule. 

Every year, voices raise in Algeria demanding France to acknowledge and apologize for its colonial past in the North African country. 

Algerians accuse Paris of obliterating the Algerian identity, looting, torture, murder and carrying out nuclear tests during the colonial rule. 

France occupied Algeria for 132 years, from July 5, 1830, until July 5, 1962, when the country declared its independence from colonial rule. 

During the course of the struggle for independence, over 1.5 million Algerians were martyred, while hundreds of thousands more were injured, went missing or were forced from their homes. 

"France must acknowledge its genocide crimes against the Algerians since 1830," Algerian historian Mohammed al-Ameen Balghaith told Anadolu Agency. 

This year's independence anniversary comes amid popular protests that forced long-serving President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down in April. 

During the protests, demonstrators call for breaking with France at cultural and political levels and cancelling the use of the French language in state institutions, schools and universities. Protesters also blame Paris for the current political and economic situation in Algeria. 

Identity obliteration 

Algerians accuse France of erasing the Algerian identity and launching war against mosques and religious schools. 

In 1836, France opened the first Catholic missionary school in Algeria. 

Paris also enacted discriminatory laws against Algerians, in a move that allowed colonizers to usurp their lands. 

Skulls of fighters 

The French colonial rule has been faced with a fierce resistance from Algerians, which was met with a brutal crackdown by colonizers. 

In 1880 –1881, France took the skulls of 37 resistance fighters. The skulls are currently stored at the Museum of Mankind in Paris. 

Algeria has been demanding to return the skills since 2011, a demand rejected by Paris. 

May 8 massacre 

On May 8, 1945, thousands of Algerians took to the streets to celebrate the allied victory over Nazi Germany and end of World War II (1939–1945) and to demand independence from France. 

The celebrations, however, turned bloody when French forces opened fire on protesters, with estimates putting the death toll at around 45,000. 

1.5 million martyrs 

More than 1.5 million Algerians were martyred during the course of the Algerian struggle for independence from the French rule. 

Algerians accuse France of using civilians as human shield during their fight against the National Liberation Army (ALN). 

Other estimates put the Algerian death toll during the French colonial rule at over 10 million. 

In 2017, the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights, an NGO, estimated that the victims of the French colonial rule at over 10 million. 

The Seine Massacre 

On October 17, 1961, tens of thousands of Algerians demonstrated in Paris against the French occupation of their country. French police opened fire on protesters, killing around 345. 

Nuclear tests 

According to French officials, the colonial authorities carried out 17 nuclear experiments in the Algerian desert in the period between 1960 and 1966. Algerian historians, however, put the number at 57. 

On 13 February 1960, France conducted its first nuclear test, code-named “Gerboise Bleue” (Blue Desert Rat) in the Sahara Desert, southwest of Algeria. 

The French nuclear experiments have caused the death of around 42,000 Algerians and thousands injured due to nuclear radioactivity, in addition to the extensive damage against the environment. 

Genocide 

The colonialist French authorities have committed abuses and torture against Algerian civilians, according to Algerian historians and victims. 

Electric shocks and the use of water wells as prisons were among the methods used by the colonialist authorities against prisoners in Algeria. 

The Algerian archive is another thorny issue between the two countries, with Algerians demanding France return thousands of artifacts, books and maps, a demand rejected by Paris. 

Yup millions died in that country when it was under French colonial rule.

If you have even more time, do try to check on the whole track record of French colonial rule in other parts of the world such as Indochina and see whether they are truly nice, romantic and gave the people they colonised freedom of speech.

What? Those were long ago?

Not really actually. And they don't even really apologise.

Also, they only left the colonised land because they were kicked out of them.

The need to maintain separation of powers

Yesterday, the Istana Negara issued a statement saying that the Yang diPertuan Agong has issued another decree, advising all MPs to support the soon to be tabled 2021 Budget.

I was a bit amused as to why the king needed to repeat that again.

I actually believe it was because he was not confident about all that talks of stopping the fight.

And I also think that the king agrees with me that all that talks of "political ceasefire" was actually just an

• Umno's brilliant bluff

For some reasons that I could not think of, the statement issued by Istana Negara made it as if the  king was going out of his way in trying to save Muhyiddin's administration on this one.

And I do wonder why he didn't speaks directly about it as the statement was issued quoting the Royal Comptroller saying the king said this and that.

Hmmmmm....

Anyone who has been following this blog for a long time would notice that I quite like Sultan Abdullah, especially because of his hands on approach.

But he doesn't seems to be like that on this matter.

Well, maybe it's because of the protocol of Istana Negara.

Maybe.

Still, someone brought to my attention this morning that the king who is part of the executive shouldn't be interfering or in this case "advising" the parliament, which is the legislature on what it should or shouldn't do.

Doing so would infringe the separation of powers doctrine which is the pillar of our democracy. 

Under a democratic system, there must be a check and balance between the executive, legislature and judiciary. One of them shouldn't be let to dominate the others....like how it is in North Korea or communist-ruled China. 

My opinion on this matter is about the same as the following statement by Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim yesterday, 

Pekara: Hormati Kebebasan Ahli Parlimen Menentukan Pendirian Dan Membuat Keputusan 

1.Belanjawan Negara Tahun 2021 yang akan dibentangkan oleh Kerajaan pada 6hb November di Dewan Rakyat adalah dalam bentuk Rang Undang-Undang Perbekalan di bawah Perkara 100 Perlembagaan Persekutuan. 

2.Parlimen adalah badan legislatif iaitu sebuah institusi perundangan yang tugasnya menggubal undang-undang. Manakala ahli-ahli parlimen adalah penggubal undang-undang atau (laws maker). 

3.Negara kita Malaysia sebuah negara demokrasi berparlimen yang mengguna pakai prinsip pengasingan kuasa (separation of powers).Semua pihak dan institusi perlu menghormati parlimen dengan menyediakan suatu keadaan yang kondusif bagi membolehkan ahli-ahli parlimen bebas menentukan pendirian dan membuat keputusan. 

 4.Dalam hal ehwal kewangan negara, peranan parlimen amat besar.Perkara 96 Perlembagaan Persekutuan menyebut bahawa tiada percukaian melainkan jika dibenarkan oleh undang-undang. Manakala Perkara 102 pula menyatakan bahawa Parlimen mempunyai kuasa berkenaan dengan mana-mana tahun kewangan.  

5.Hal-hal berkenaan rang undang-undang melibatkan kewangan negara adalah dalam bidang kuasa parlimen. Tidak ada sesiapa boleh mengarah, mendesak,memujuk atau memaksa ahli-ahli parlimen supaya menyokong dan meluluskan sesuatu rang undang-undang belanjawan negara termasuklah Belanjawan Tahun 2021 yang akan dibentangkan pada 6hb November nanti. 

6.Peranan Parlimen sebagai badan semak dan imbang perlu difahami dan dihormati. Rang undang-undang belanjawan tahun 2021 seperti belanjawan sebelum ini perlu melalui proses penggubalan undang -undang yang diperuntukkan di bawah Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan undang-undang berkaitan kewangan yang sedia ada.Rang undang-undang belanjawan 2021 perlu dibahaskan di peringkat dasar dan jawatankuasa.Proses pengundian juga perlu dilakukan di peringkat dasar dan juga peringkat jawatankuasa.Tidak ada proses fast track ataupun jalan pintas.Duit beratus bilion ringgit dalam belanjawan negara 2021 itu adalah duit pembayar cukai dan duit hasil negara milik rakyat dan milik negara. 

7.Ahli-ahli parlimen yang mengangkat sumpah telah berikrar untuk mempertahankan Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang membawa maksud menjaga kepentingan rakyat dan negara.Ahli-ahli parlimen sama ada ahli Dewan Rakyat dan Dewan Negara berada di Parlimen atas kelayakannya menjadi ahli Parlimen di bawah Perkara 47 Perlembagaan Persekutuan.Justeru itu kepercayaan wajar diberi kepada mereka untuk menimbang mana yang baik dan mana yang merosakkan negara. 

8.Sebagai seorang ahli parlimen yang dipilih oleh rakyat, saya amat gusar dan bimbang dengan suatu kenyataan Istana negara bertarikh 28 Oktober 2020 yang dikeluarkan oleh Dato’ Indera Ahmad Fadil Shamsudin, Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja yang menyebut, antara lain, bahawa Yang di-Pertuan Agong menasihati Ahli-ahli Dewan Rakyat untuk memberi sokongan padu kepada Belanjawan 2021. 

 9. Saya beranggapan kenyataan Datuk Pengelola Bijaya Diraja itu sebagai satu pelanggaran terhadap prinsip raja berperlembagaan dalam sebuah negara yang mengamalkan demokrasi berparlimen.Saya ingin menegaskan ahli-ahli parlimen mestilah bebas untuk membuat keputusan di dalam sidang parlimen termasuk sidang berkenaan Belanjawan 2021 tanpa ada sebarang tekanan atau pengaruh sesiapa (undue influence).

Well, I think it's best for us to defend our constitution and democratic system.

I do know that many of you all are fed up with the politicians these days but if we start to go down that slope, we may find it too slippery to climb up again.

Once we lose our democracy, we may never get it back.

Umno's brilliant bluff

So, this is Umno's current official stand, 

KENYATAAN MEDIA 

Majlis Kerja Tertinggi UMNO yang bermesyuarat pada hari ini, 26 Oktober 2020 (Isnin) telah memutuskan perkara-perkara berikut: 

1. Menjunjung kasih di atas keputusan Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Agong menolak permohonan yang dipersembahkan oleh Perdana Menteri bagi maksud pelaksanaan Darurat Perkara 150(1) dan Pemasyhuran Ordinan Darurat (Kuasa-Kuasa Perlu 2020) menurut Perkara 150(2B) Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Bagi UMNO, keputusan yang turut diperbincangkan dengan Majlis Raja-Raja tersebut adalah amat bijaksana dan cukup melegakan rakyat. 

2. Mendokong sepenuhnya titah dan saranan Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Majlis Raja-Raja agar dikendurkan segala ketegangan politik dengan melakukan gencatan politik bagi memastikan kestabilan politik negara dapat terus dipertahankan. 

3. Menyarankan agar inisiatif Rekonsiliasi Nasional atau Agenda Perdamaian Nasional segera dilaksanakan dengan menggembleng penyertaan semua parti politik yang bernaung dalam Kerajaan Perikatan Nasional dan juga parti-parti pembangkang. 

 4. Mencadangkan supaya Kerajaan mengambil pendekatan yang lebih inklusif melangkaui perbezaan ideologi parti dalam menangani pandemik Covid-19 dan kesan negatif ekonomi yang dihadapi rakyat yang sedang susah dan gelisah. 

 5. Majlis Kerja Tertinggi UMNO mengekalkan keputusan terdahulu tanpa kerjasama PKR dan DAP. Ahli-ahli Parlimen UMNO akan terus mendokong Kerajaan Perikatan Nasional. UMNO menggesa ditambah baik prinsip kerjasama yang harus berpaksikan nilai penghormatan dan political consensus. 

 6. Memastikan ketetapan Perhimpunan Agung UMNO untuk memperkasakan Muafakat Nasional dapat terus direalisasikan. 

 AHMAD ZAHID HAMIDI

Basically,

1.Thanked Agong and his Rulers gang for rejecting Muhyiddin's emergency move.

2. To continue its "political ceasefire".

3. To continue its "political ceasefire".

4. To continue its "political ceasefire".

5. To continue its support for Perikatan in return for "better treatment".

6. To stick with Pas.

Well, this is actually nothing new.

It's the same thing that Umno said  before the Muhyiddin's "emergency move".

Quite anti-climax, actually.

I was actually expecting Zahid to say Umno will work with DAP  to set up a new government as it promised to flush out Guan Eng and his irritating gang.

Sigh.

That would be much nicer.

Still, I honestly don't really believe in this Umno's official stand.

Obviously, Muhyiddin and his gang didn't believe it too that Umno will not try to pull a fast one on them.

They think the Umno's ceasefire was bullshit and that's why they make that unfortunate "emergency move". 

I strongly believe they still think the same this time.

They still think Zahid and the Umno gang were just bluffing and will side with Anwar when it comes to voting in parliament.

Actually, even more so now after their failed attempt to stab Umno in the back using the "emergency move".

And I think they are right.

I still think the fight is still on.

I think Umno is just putting up a nice front with the ceasefire and reconciliation stuff.

Now people will have to say that Umno wants peace, work with everyone to overcome Covid-19, forgive Muhyiddin's emergency move betrayal, etc.

In actual fact, it's a brilliant political move.

Umno can get what it wants now without being the bad guy.

If Muhyiddin doesn't give in to it, Umno can sides with Anwar without looking bad.

After all, it doesn't have to be the whole block of Umno to vote against Muhyiddin in parliament.

Just a few of them siding with Anwar would do the trick.

If that happens, Umno can always say, we stick with our official stand but we can't control those few who sided with Anwar.

Then it joins the new government.

But working with mortal enemy DAP?

Eh, we already said we want peace for the good of the people to fight this Covid-19 pandemic, okay.

And DAP is now led by that nice Anthony Loke guy. Guan Eng is going to jail for corruption, what. And they will get rid of the other irritating bastards such as Tony Puaka soon.

So, Umno becomes the good guy and wins.

Nice, right?

But seriously, I think I'm right on this one.

I was right in my last post, okay.

Hahaha....I really really wish Umno and DAP could be friends.

Then I can have nice chats about politics with my DAP supporting mother and beloved.

And Malaysia could be a better and more peaceful country.

Okay, I need to get up and go to work now

Cheers.

Between emergency and democracy

Everyone went gaga yesterday over what was said to be an emergency about to be declared by the Perikatan government.

I even got an inquiry about it from Japan.

Well, Muhyiddin went to Kuantan to meet the Agong after a special Cabinet meeting, causing everyone to believe that he was trying to get the king's consent to declare the emergency.

However, in the end, nothing happened....yet so far.

I did some checking and as far as my sources are concerned, the emergency move was real.

The pretext is Covid-19, but as everyone suspected, the real reason is to prevent a no confidence motion from being tabled against Muhyiddin in parliament.

That could also happen indirectly via the voting to pass next year's budget, scheduled before end of next month.

If the budget doesn't go through, that's as good as a no confidence vote against Muhyiddin.

According to my sources, the main characters behind this emergency idea are Muhyiddin himself,  Azmin, Hamzah Zainuddin, Ismail Sabri, and that flying car minister, whose name I can't remember.

As for the meeting with the Agong, it was said that the king wanted to discuss the matter first with the other Rulers before giving his consent for the requested emergency be declared.

If this is true, then I suspect the Agong is not 100 per cent supportive of the idea for Malaysia being put under an emergency rule.

Otherwise, he would have just agreed to it.

For that, I salute the Agong.

I'm also against this emergency move because it's against our democracy and may worsen the country's economy which is already battered by Covid-19.

The Perikatan government shouldn't run for emergency cover whether in handling Covid-19 or the challenge from the opposition.

Even the Agong had previously said that all quarters must abide by the Constitution.

True, there's currently a spike in Covid-19 cases but we have been handling it well so far and I can't see why the need for the state of emergency, if that's the real reason to have it.

If the real reason is Anwar to challenge Muhyiddin in parliament, then stand up to it and just count the seats.

Prove to the world that the government has the mandate to rule.

That should shut up Anwar and the gang.

There's the Umno ceasefire, what?

Surely Muhyiddin could get enough support.

Unless, if Zahid had actually just been bluffing about the ceasefire the other day.

Well, if that's the case, Muhyiddin should talk with Zahid and the Umno gang again.

And this time, talk nicely to them.

But if Muhyiddin still wants to go the emergency route, then he should bear in mind that his government will become even more unpopular.

He would be just buying time if he does that as come GE15, the people will punish him and his gang.

Unless, of course the state of emergency be prolonged beyond the GE15 deadline or till forever.

Then we can be like North Korea.

Hey, anything could happen, okay.

Umno vs Pribumi Bersatu, the story so far

When Zahid yesterday declared a "political ceasefire", the first thing that came to my mind was that it was directed at Pribumi Bersatu.

Definitely not at DAP, PKR and their allies.

The real struggle for power now is between Umno and Pribumi Bersatu.

Anwar, Dr Mahathir and the others are just supporting characters.

At the moment, Umno has the upper hand.

The only reason they didn't go for the kill yet was because of the Covid-19 crisis.

Or, Muhyiddin had offered them something.

But one thing is for sure, Pribumi Bersatu has now realised that it can't bully Umno in Perikatan Nasional anymore.

Even Pas realised this, thus the agreement to formalise Muafakat Nasional the other day.

My bet is that those two will go on their own along with the Umno's BN allies in GE15.

A united Malay Muslim front supported by parties representing the minorities and those in Sarawak.

Basically the old BN with the inclusion of Pas. 

It's better that way as I previously wrote.

Anyway, Muhyiddin apparently has managed to buy some time but he and his people need to find their own ways too from now.

They would probably be absorbed back into Umno or melt into the other parties even before GE15.

Doesn't matter.

If the whole thing goes that way, Anwar, Dr Mahathir and the other old men of Malaysian politics would also become irrelevant, which in a way is good.

No more the usual baggage.

Personally, I hope Umno will keep its cool till GE15.

It has sent its message that day, and that should be enough for now.

As for the opposition, I hope PKR, DAP and the others could survive the remainder of the Muhyiddin's administration.

We will still need a good opposition no matter what happen because this country is a democracy.

Please help the Bajau Laut people

UPDATES at 12.31pm

Apparently, NST has picked up on this story just now. Alhamdulillah.

More holistic approach needed to address Covid-19 among Semporna islanders

ORIGINAL POST 

My beloved forwarded me this yesterday and asked me to highlight it,

My beloved is really concerned about the plight of those Bajau Laut people but felt helpless for not being able to do much.

I wish I could do more to help them myself.

Since we can't do much, I hope those who are really in the position to do something could help them.

I know, there are many others who are in need of help too amidst this Covid-19 crisis but these unfortunate people seemed to be in more need of help than others.

For those who may later help the Bajau Laut people, may Allah bless and reward you. Thank you.