Seri Iskandar: The Sungai Tumboh Development Cooperative (KPST) today lodged a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), alleging abuse of power following the eviction and invasion of land cultivated by KPST in Seri Iskandar in an incident on Sept 27 last year.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, KPST chairman Zainudin Norhan claimed that as a result of the land invasion and eviction, which also caused the destruction of crops, the cooperative, made up of small palm oil farmers, could no longer continue cultivating the land that had been worked on for over a decade. He highlighted a suspicious transaction of RM4 million deposited into the cooperative’s account as alleged compensation from a third-party developer, which he stated was not agreed upon by the board members or the cooperative.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim has similarly called for an investigation by MACC into the land invasion and eviction, which was alleged to have occurred without any notice or court order. He pointed out that the land, originally granted to the Perak State Development Corporation (PKNP), should have had a reasonable resolution between PKNP and the cooperative, which consists of 400 families. However, no solution was reached during a meeting convened with PKNP.

Zainudin further alleged that the eviction and destruction of crops were based on ‘an agreement’ signed by the previous leadership of the cooperative with the developer. He questioned the legitimacy of this agreement, as the current board members claim they never agreed to the eviction and no special meeting was held to discuss this matter. Despite being offered a replacement area, the cooperative rejected it due to its unsuitability for palm oil cultivation.