KULAI - The claims made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin did not implement the disposal of Felda settlers' debts is misleading.
According to Tosrin Jarvanthi, a first-generation settler of Taib Andak Felda, aged 73, there was a Felda settler's loan statement that was evidence of the settlement of the settler's debt made in 2021.
"I came forward as a Felda settler who wanted to correct what was said about the Felda settler debts when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was the Prime Minister.
"Since I became a settler in 1979, that was the first time I experienced the historic moment of a Felda settler debt being written off.
"In fact, I myself went to the management office of Felda Taib Andak to collect the settler's loan statement and the matter proved to be true," he said at a press conference, here on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, second generation representative Khairol Nizam Kusnin, 38 said he also found it hard to believe when Muhyiddin announced the cancellation of Felda's debt two years ago.
However, he said, after the settler's loan statement was issued by the Felda management office, it turned out that his assumption was wrong because part of the settler's debt had been written off at that time.
"I am also confused by what Anwar said about the cancellation of Felda's debt.
"As a youth of Felda, I hope the government and Felda can provide a clear statement with evidence so as not to confuse the settlers and the second generation of Felda throughout the country," he said.
On July 7, during Settlers' Day, Anwar claimed that steps to clear settler debts were not made by the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and that this matter continued until he took over the government.
Before that in 2021, Muhyiddin then as Prime Minister had announced that the government agreed to dispose of part of the Felda settler loan amounting to RM8.3 billion conditionally.
The agreement had taken into account the settler's debt issue which needed to be addressed first to facilitate the regeneration process of Felda.