07/07/2026 07:20 PM

Anwar Urges FELDA To Uphold Good Governance, Avoid Past Mistakes

MARAN, July 7 (Bernama) -- 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.

Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said good governance, a key principle of the MADANI Government, would ultimately benefit the people through a more transparent, accountable and effective administration.

“The government has to fork out almost RM1 billion a year. For what? To service debts. Was it the settlers' fault? No. It was due to poor management and the abuse of trust by those entrusted with the responsibility.

“This is why we must remember not to repeat those mistakes... because in the end, it is all of us who bear the burden and have to pay the price,” he said.

He said this while addressing the FELDA Settlers' Day celebration and FELDA's 70th anniversary at Stadium Tun Abdul Razak in Jengka here today.

Also present were 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 said holding the celebration in a FELDA settlement, rather than in the capital, had significantly reduced costs while generating economic benefits for the local community.

“I asked for a comparison of the cost of holding Settlers' Day here and in the capital. It is much cheaper here. We are able to save funds and return the savings to the settlers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anwar said changes to the crude palm oil sales model had led to a sharp decline in the profitability of palm oil mills, affecting the 28 per cent equity stake held by the FELDA Investment Cooperative (KPF).

“To put these concerns to rest, we will restore the crude palm oil sales model to the original system that was in place before FGV's listing. This move is expected to generate an additional RM42 million in income for FELDA settlers through KPF,” he said.

To strengthen digital literacy among settlers, the Prime Minister announced an allocation of RM15.85 million for 317 eligible FELDA settlements.

He said the initiative would be implemented through close collaboration between the Communications Ministry and the Digital Ministry, supported by the National Digital Network (JENDELA) infrastructure, which now extends to FELDA settlements and rural areas.

In education, Anwar announced an allocation of RM10 million to repair 370 primary and secondary schools in FELDA areas.

He also announced an additional RM3 million to support the FELDA MAYA Squad in improving healthcare services for settlers.

The squad has trained 1,555 volunteers comprising settlers, youths and members of the younger generation, and has carried out more than 18,000 health screenings across 371 FELDA settlements nationwide.

Anwar said although the reforms required substantial government spending, the government would continue doing its utmost to strengthen FELDA and ensure its benefits were enjoyed by the settler community.

-- BERNAMA

 

 

Keywords

Latest News