Wednesday 29 August 2012

Remembering IIB's relocation of Kampung Pendas Laut

I was involved in a bit of a tiff with a commenter in this posting Pulling out the racial card in Pengerang

It went like this -


Tak apalah anak, atas nama pembangunan ambillah tanah-tanah Melayu seperti yang telah dilakukan di Gelang Patah dulu. Tiada siapa yang perlu Melayu salahkan bila di bumi Melayu ini suatu hari yang tiada tanah sendiri adalah orang Melayu sendiri. Mungkin ketika itu barulah akan timbul kesedaran di minda Melayu melihat kaum lain mempunyai tanah kerana mereka menentang dan mempertahankan tanah mereka dirampas. Ketika itu jangan sekali-kali orang Melayu salahkan kaum lain atas kealpaan orang Melayu sendiri yang menggadai tanah untuk ringgit.
Pakchik/makchik tolonglah jangan buta sejarah atau pura-pura tidak tahu fakta. Tak pernah kerajaan merampas tanah sesiapa tak kira bangsa di negara ni. Cuba imbas balik apa yang berlaku ketika pengabilan tanah untuk PTP di Gelang Patah dulu. Bercakap biar lah jujur. Ada atau tidak pampasan samaada dari bentuk tanah, tapak rumah dan wang tunai diberikan secukupnya? Tolong jangan berbohong disini. Juga cuba ingot sekiranya berlaku insiden-insiden seperti wang pampasan di habiskan bergembira di Batam sehingga yang tinggal hanya tapak rumah dan kemudiannya menuntut tambahan pampasan? Jangan lah jadi si Kitul yang menghasut dan menjual bangsa Melayu untuk kepentingan politik dan diri sendiri. Terima kasih.
Ya sayang anak oi, tanah-tanah yang diambil dari orang Melayu kat Gelang Patah, ia sememangnya orang Melayu dapat sekupang dua tapi tanah itu dijual semula dan dipindahmilik dengan harga beratusan ringgit sekaki. Akhirnya yang kini mendiami rumah-rumah mewah ditanah milik orang Melayu suatu ketika dulu adalah orang Singapore, orang Cina Indonesia, orang Cina tempatan dan sekerat dua orang Melayu.

Orang Melayu pula dimana? Mereka kini hidup di pinggiran rumah mewah di flet-flet perumahan rakyat. Hilang tanah, hilang mata pencarian dan tinggal dengan kenangan orang Melayu menipu orang Melayu.

Anakku, biarpun kamu penyokong tegar UMNO sesakali sedarlah bagaimana bangsa kita sedikit demi sedikit atas nama pembangunan hilang tanah bumi Melayu kita. Jangan sokong sampai taksub dengan UMNO. Saya anak Kg Pendas. yang tanah diambil dengan harga tidak berpatutan dan pampasan tidak dapat memungkinkan saya beli hartanah dibumi emas Gelang Patah.
Mula-mula kata tanah kena rampas, sekarang kata pampasan tak berpatutan. Cuba cerita sikit berapa pampasan yang dapat dan macam mana rupa rumah asal awak dengan rumah yang di beri sebagai ganti di Pendas Laut tu. Kalau ada tanah, ada hakmilik tak? Hal Pendas Laut ni jangan nak tipu lah, saya ada kat situ dari mula sampai habis semua penduduk dipindahkan. Masa tu juak-juak Pas ada cuba menghasut tapi orang kampung tak berapa nak layan. Pihak IIB yang menguruskan perpindahan tu melakukan kerja dengan baik, siap dengan penerangan dan pampasan yang baik. Rumah ganti tu pun cukup cantik dan selesa serta berada hanya diseberang sungai kampung asal. Awak ni salah sorang Pas yang menghasut dulu tu ke? Sudah sudah la jadi barua DAP menghasut orang melayu. Takde pekdahnya pun kat anak cucu.

For those who are not well versed in Bahasa Malaysia, the commenter was actually accusing the government of seizing land from the people, particularly Malays. This was in relation to the impending land acquisition exercise to take place in Pengerang as part of the project to build the mammoth petroleum hub there.

Honestly, I did lose my patient with the commenter, thus my long replies. I was particularly miffed   when he/she claimed to be one of the villagers of Pendas Laut, near Gelang Patah, Johor who were not properly compensated when relocated in 2009 to make way for a development under the Iskandar Malaysia. I remember it very well that Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) which was responsible for the relocation being extremely careful about the whole thing. There were no such thing as land being seized and the villagers not being properly compensated.

 The about 120 families of Kampung Pendas Laut were mostly living in wooden houses at the water edge of the Sungai Pendas. Most were fishermen, These were their houses before the relocation -


I remember having lunch with the IIB people at a riverside restaurant on the other side of the river bank while discussing about the relocation of the village. Scenic place...and the asam pedas there was among the best around. The restaurant had however since burnt down and the last time I checked its reconstruction was not yet completed.

I recalled one of the IIB guys by the name of Mat Nor telling me about the details of how to relocate a Chinese grave. The handsome fella turned out to be the person in charge of  relocating all the graves at the village which include some old Chinese graves. He was present at every single one of the relocation of the graves that he became quite knowledgable about the whole thing. He said he and a colleague need to be present as they must ensure everything went smoothly and all the rituals were adhered.

I also remember the IIB corp comm team working tirelessly with State government officials to ensure the villagers were properly briefed about their relocation to prevent any anxiety among them. 

Pas, PKR and DAP people did try to influence the villagers against the relocation but their efforts were not successful. The relocation package was simply too good for them to make an issue out of it.

Everything went smoothly and the villagers happily moved to their new settlement called Kampung Pendas Baru which is just on the other side of the river bank. They were reasonably compensated financially and these are their new homes -


I took this picture from a blog belonging to a Singaporean Malay who admired the new modern village so much. You can read his take on the new village here -








18 comments:

  1. IIB's Mat Nor is a good guy. Very honest and down-to-earth, not like most IIB/Khazanah fellas, mostly perasan and tak sedar diri.

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    1. Agree. Most of the IIB/Khazanah staff snobbish. Acting high and mighty. A lot of people also say this.

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  2. Nice house looks like somewhere in Selangor, Melaka, Ipoh, Trengganu like Chinese housing estate. But the upper pic looks better. It is more like Malay rights - Tanah Melayu but will soon be GONE and vanished just like those in Sinkapore before the governmnet reclaim and made into a BIG petrochemical complex. So nice house but has to say - selamat pagi boss to others as he is now a work man as compare to being a boss as a fisherman.

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    1. I know, you are the type who like the Malays to continue staying in old dilapidated wooden houses with no proper sanitary and remain as coastal fishermen...so that you can lord over them, isn't it?

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    2. Who is telling lies, cock and duck nes? Many Dumno dingos say Malaysia is developed and conducive to stay but now you say there are no proper jamban for the villagers. After 50 years why DUMNO does not proper no proper jamban? Dumno dingos also say Petronas is very rich and relative to a Minister can get money to buy condos in Sinkapore instead of rearing cows? So who is the real culprit and lord over the Villagers for 50 years?

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  3. Big Cat, I hope you are not a practicing lawyer because you cant see the trees from the forest.

    There are two issues raised by Anon:
    1. Tanah-tanah orang Melayu yang diambil di Gelang Patah. Now where are they ? Go and see the houses in Gelang Patah now and see who resides there ? Then go and see the PPRT homes ? Find out where the former Gelang Patah Malays are residing ?

    2. What Anon is trying to say is the land taken away in Pendas are Malay land and where they had a way of living and a comfortable lifelihood. Today, they have a house but lost a living. Ask the people of Pendas Laut are they happy with their concrete houses or the former lifestyle and you'd be suprised.

    Salam.

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    1. 1. Gelang Patah is rapidly developing. As elsewhere, the Chinese would be where they could prosper. As for the Malays, there are still where they are. If you are talking about those who end up landless and such, then you need to learn the history of how some refused to be compensated with land and houses when they were to be relocated to make way for the Port of Tanjong Pelepas. They had instead demanded cash. Most ended up mismanaging the money and ended where they are now. If you want to blame the government for individuals' folly, then there is nothing much I can say here.

      2. It's my fault. I should have been more detailed in describing the new village. The place also have a nice jetty as it's located on the river bank just opposite the old village. Those who wished to continue as fishermen may do so. No change of way of life if they don't want to. Read what the Singaporean wrote and you may tend to agree with him that the villagers are indeed getting a good deal.

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    2. yess big cat , its no secret , some of them only want cash , yess we know it big cash ! .. at the end they go shopping like no tomorrow , its no clothes or buying new house , they buy a few car for their family members and many flashy thing , all of this thing need more money for maintenance .. and money run out , at the end they only living at small rent house or flat .. as expected come this Pakatan goons talking lies , spinning everything .. its quite sad coz it happened to Malay , and PAS and DAP goons never care as long can twisted people mind , they create lie and more lie .

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  4. Mat Noh...my freind...congratulations for good deeds.

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  5. BC,

    Honestly, who benefitted the most in FGVH listing ? Actual peneroka doing all the real work and lease it to FGV and make lots of money at the corporate level. This is a beginning of the story, ending will be real sad.

    Tun Razak's original intention was to teach the Felda settlers how to fish instead of just receiving the fish so that they can be self-sufficient. Little by little, the national assets are being stripped of.

    ktmb workers union plans demo

    A lot more...
    <

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  6. Melayu memang zero financial managing skill dan tidak bermampu pandangan yg jauh. Lagi satu - bebal, susah nak dengar nasihat yg berfaedah.Sebuk melaram dulu, pas tu melopong pokai abis meminjam sana sini salahkan org lain. Bila entah nak cerdik sikit - agaknya bila dah terus jadi hamba/orang suruhan di tanah pusaka tok moyang sendiri.

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  7. leave the Felda people alone thay have been working hard all these years, at least they deserved it they did the fishing with given rods and at last they managed to get a really BIG fish - GOD's will - dont be jealous.


    me i justt remind myself not to beg but just keep on working ant I thanks GOD for all the blessing ......one of this day all of us will be leaving for the worldly world forevr at least do some good deed...sowing hatred is just wasting this previous time given .....

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  8. All I hear are crutches, crutches, crutches....gimme more, gimme more - never work, save, work, save. Allah won't help those who can't help themselves.

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  9. kucing besar...
    at least the law provides through the land acquisition act allows for a fair market value/current values and room for negotiaitions if owners are aggrieved..its not like Spore down there the draconian laws where the PAP and its sister cohorts the DAP rules..
    In many instances too affected landowners not only received compensation but also another piece of land albeit smaller somewhere else..its very fair esp in Johor

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    1. When graves are made way for developement DUmno dingos praised Sinkapore and curse them for draconian laws. Why running like a Dingo? Look above - all cock and hen talking without any proof of daconian laws and better compensation> Where is your proof?

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  10. Thanks for linking to my blog. I'm formerly a Singaporean but now I'm a Malaysian. My father was from Bakri, Muar. He came to Singapore in the nineteen thirties at a young age to support his single mum, brothers and sisters (he's abang long) working as a police officer.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by. Your blog is an enjoyable read, and it is my privilege to share it with my regular friends and readers. Happy Merdeka Day to you and your family :)

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