Jengka: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) board and management to uphold the highest standards of governance and avoid repeating past mistakes in the agency's administration.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, emphasized that good governance, a key principle of the MADANI Government, would ultimately benefit the people through a more transparent, accountable, and effective administration. He highlighted the financial burden on the government, which has to allocate almost RM1 billion annually to service debts due to poor management and the abuse of trust by those responsible for the agency.
Anwar addressed these concerns during the FELDA Settlers' Day celebration and FELDA's 70th anniversary at Stadium Tun Abdul Razak in Jengka. The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Anwar mentioned that hosting the celebration in a FELDA settlement, instead of the capital, had significantly reduced costs while providing economic benefits to the local community. He stressed the importance of cost-saving measures that allow funds to be redirected back to the settlers.
In addressing financial concerns related to palm oil sales, Anwar announced the restoration of the crude palm oil sales model to its original system, which is expected to generate an additional RM42 million in income for FELDA settlers through the FELDA Investment Cooperative (KPF).
To enhance digital literacy among settlers, Anwar disclosed an allocation of RM15.85 million for 317 eligible FELDA settlements. This initiative will be implemented in collaboration with the Communications Ministry and the Digital Ministry, supported by the National Digital Network (JENDELA) infrastructure.
In the education sector, Anwar announced an allocation of RM10 million to repair 370 primary and secondary schools in FELDA areas and an additional RM3 million to support the FELDA MAYA Squad in improving healthcare services for settlers. The squad, comprising 1,555 trained volunteers, has conducted over 18,000 health screenings across 371 FELDA settlements nationwide.
Anwar concluded by affirming the government's commitment to strengthening FELDA and ensuring its benefits are enjoyed by the settler community, despite the substantial required government spending.