RM1 million grand prize for best Felda settlement

In addition to the good news that usually comes with the annual celebration of Hari Peneroka (Settler's Day), the grand prize of RM1 million for a selected settlement is also cause for such anticipation.

It is a prize much coveted by the community comprising 112,635 settlers since it was first introduced 10 years ago through the Felda village beautification award (Anugerah Keceriaan Kampung Felda) (AKKF).

This year, the tradition continues with 10 settlements qualifying for the finals at the Ekspresi Felda Negaraku Malaysia Carnival, which will be held in conjunction with the national level Hari Peneroka celebration this year.

The three-day carnival starts today with a launching by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who will also be presenting the 10th edition of the AKKF award this Sunday in Putrajaya.

"The award will be given to the land settlement scheme that has best managed the beautification and administration of their village, out of the 317 Felda settlements out there. Participation in the programme is compulsory.

"This year, only 10 villages made it to the final round and I can honestly say that this year's competition is the most tight yet. In fact, the juries are having a hard time deciding which of them should be awarded the RM1 million cash prize," said Felda Deputy Director General of Community Development Anuar Malek to Bernama in an interview recently.

He said this was because not only were all the finalists neck-to-neck in terms of cleanliness and landscaping, but it was also because they had great leadership and residents who actively participated in all efforts.

Anuar has been involved in the selection process for the prestigious award since 2013. However, he said, never in that time did the panel of jury faced such a tough decision that they had to hold additional discussion sessions before coming to a decision.

"There are settlements that were shortlisted for the first time ever and made it into the final round. Everyone was committed to giving their best effort in order to win the top prize," said Anuar, who has been with Felda for 36 years.

This year, 10 villages that made it to the final stage namely the Kemahang 2, Rimba Mas, Tersang 3, Selancar 3, Chini Timur 1, Jengka 25, Raja Alias 4, Adela, Lok Heng Selatan and Bukit Tongkat settlement schemes.

Najib introduced AKKF in 2007 while launching the Felda village beautification programme in Felda Chini Timur 3. At the time he was still a Deputy Prime Minister.

The annual competition launched in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the country's independence not only offered the highly lucrative grand prize of RM1 million but was aimed at transforming Felda villages into conducive neighbourhoods.

In addition to helping create a clean environment with beautiful landscaping, it also changes the environment into a more cheerful one, eventually making them model neighbourhoods for the rural community. After 10 years, the vast changes in the landscape of Felda villages is testament to an objective fulfilled.

Many used to describe Felda settlements as located in the neck of the woods as many of the settlements literally were located in areas that were former jungles. However, the AKKF award had highly motivated settlers into transforming their villages to become impressive neighbourhoods, so much so that many have become tourist destinations.

"The settlers have worked tirelessly to improve their villages and that is why the competition is so stiff. We need to carefully assess as RM1 million is a lot of money. This is to ensure no one contests the decision after it has been announced," he explained.

There are 10 criteria that are looked into by the jury before coming to a decision.

The assessment does not centre around the beautification of the environment in the settlements alone but the quality of life among settlers as well, said Anuar.

"We look at the housing structures to see if it has evolved. We also assess the community to see how well settlers work with one another to enhance their environment.

"Next, we look at the agricultural output, youth potential, tourist attraction, business sites, youth leadership and members of the Settlement Security and Development Committee (JKKR).

"We also look at the use of empty spaces, employment of edible garden concepts, buildings, officers and government quarters. All these are assessed by their level of cleanliness and organisation," he explained.

A panel of jury comprising experts in landscaping, social construction as well as urban and rural planning were invited to judge the final round to ensure a just outcome.

Anuar said that prior to 2014, Felda has paid each settler RM10 a month to beautify the settlement. However, it was reduced to RM5 in 2014 to see their commitment to the programme.

"Interestingly, they did not mind spending more than that to beautify their village. This is despite the fact that even if their settlement won RM1 million, each settler would only get around RM1,000 each while the rest would be used for suitable projects," he said.

He hoped that the settlers would continue to foster the community spirit among them and takes pride in their achievements to empower their community.

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