Johor Felda settlers’ long wait for land title ends
To date, 99.9 per cent, or 27,639 out of 27,642 Felda settlers in the state who submitted applications, have received ownership titles to their land.
KLUANG - There could be no better birthday gift for Muhammad Awi Ahmad, who turns 75 today, than receiving the ownership title to his nearly 4.2-hectare plantation and residence in Felda Kahang Timur here.
Muhammad Awi said he had submitted three applications to obtain ownership title to the land he had cultivated since 1986, but his first two applications, made in 1990 and 2000, were unsuccessful.
The father of four said his long wait finally came to an end after the Johor state government, led by Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, approved his application in about a year.
"All the worry and uncertainty are over now. On my 75th birthday today, the land I have been working on for so long now belongs to me,” he said.
He said this after the Johor Felda Settlers Land Title Handover Ceremony involving 210 recipients from Kluang, Kota Tinggi and Mersing at Dewan Dato’ Onn, Rumah Komuniti Parlimen Sembrong, here yesterday, which was attended by Onn Hafiz.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Awi's daughter, Norliyani, 25, representing the second generation of Felda settlers, said the handover of the land title reflected the state government’s commitment to resolving a long-standing land ownership issue faced by settlers.
She said if the issue was not addressed, the challenges faced by the first generation of settlers would continue to affect the second, third and following generations.
"The first generation of Felda settlers can still go back to their villages, but for us as the second and third generation settlers, this is our home and we’ve got nowhere else to go.
"Our concern is that if this matter is not resolved, the land our family has cultivated for so long could end up belonging to others instead of our parents,” she said.
For Mohd Farhan Mohamad, 43, a wait of almost two decades to obtain the land title has finally ended after his application was approved this year.
The resident of Felda Pasak, Kota Tinggi, said he first applied for the land title in 2006 to fulfil his father Mohamad Masek’s wish to secure ownership of the land he had cultivated since the 1980s.
"The last time my father and I applied was last year, and we did not expect it to be approved,” he said.
To date, 99.9 per cent, or 27,639 out of 27,642 Felda settlers in the state who submitted applications, have received ownership titles to their land. - BERNAMA
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