Felda settlers are special, will continue to be taken care of by govt - PM Ismail Sabri

BERA: Felda settlers have been and will always remain special and the government will continue to take care of them, including their second generation, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

Speaking at the Himpunan Keluarga Felda, Teguh Bersama programme at Felda Mayam here, Ismail Sabri said the various incentives given to the settlers from the beginning of the Felda land settlement programme was proof of how special they are to the government.

"Even when Felda was deluged with problems, the settlers were never neglected," he said at the event which was also attended by Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Felda chairman Tan Sri Idris Jusoh.

In fact, Ismail Sabri said the government's special treatment was not only limited to the settlers but had also been extended to their second generation as proven by the various incentives announced for the group recently.

He said this includes the improvement made to the Felda New Generation Housing Project (PGBF) with the introduction of the Felda generation land lot initiative which saw 8,670 land lots had been identified, 770 of which had been approved.

"For (PGBF) Bera, I hope it can be expedited if the site has been identified...call for interview immediately if there's an application, expedite approval for the second generation," he said.

Apart from that, Ismail Sabri said RM20 million had been allocated by Felda and more was announced by the government under the 2023 Budget as housing loans for young people, including the second generation of Felda, through the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme.

The prime minister also requested Felda to reduce bureaucracy and expedite the applications for the Felda Youth Entrepreneur Fund, which is allocated a revolving fund of RM10 million, to the second generation.

He said 23 applications had been received so far.

Describing the Felda settlers as "very loyal voters" in the history of the Barisan Nasion (BN) government, Ismail Sabri hoped that they would continue to ensure victory for the coalition in Pahang and at the federal level in the 15th General Election (GE15).

"I guarantee that if we win big, there will be political stability, our economy will improve. The ones to benefit will be all of you as loyal citizens.

"Felda (settlers) is our real fixed deposit. They are the ones who have been very loyal to the government that we led before,'" he added.

The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 19 as polling day for GE15, while the nomination is on Nov 5 and early voting is on Nov 15.

-- BERNAMA