'Green Wave in Felda only temporary'

SHAH ALAM - The 'Green Wave,' which is said to be gaining strong influence in the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) areas, is only temporary, not permanent.

Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that currently, Felda residents were excited about the narrative brought by the Perikatan Nasional (PN), just like Umno, which advocated for the Malays and Islam.

"I feel that PN is facing a situation similar to what Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) faced when Felda residents began to realise that the party's struggle was just words.

"In 2018, Bersatu, led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, was very active in entering the Felda areas to expand its influence, and at that time, it can be seen that Felda residents sided with the party.

"However, support for Bersatu did not last long because it did not fulfil its ' moon and star' promises, so Felda residents returned to Umno.

"This is actually happening again to the settlement residents," he told Sinar yesterday.

Rahman said the residents of these settlements would reconsider a party that could understand the philosophy of Felda, not just one that uplifts the Malays and Islam.

"Currently, PN is presenting a narrative in which Umno seems no longer to be advocating for Malays and Islam solely to gain the votes of Malays.

"Not only that, they (PN politicians) deny (Umno’s) contributions to uplifting the Malays and upholding the Islamic religion in this country.

"This is not true at all because Umno will prioritise the Malays and Islam in its struggle indefinitely," he explained.

In the meantime, he said, Umno had never neglected the welfare of Felda, and the party always raised the issues faced by the settlement residents in the monthly meetings of the Supreme Council.

"The party's commitment to safeguarding Felda’s welfare can be seen through the presence of Felda’s top management, which always discusses and seeks solutions to the problems faced by the settlement residents," he said.

Sinar reported yesterday that Ilham Centre Chief Researcher Associate Professor Dr Mohd Yusri Ibrahim said that Felda was no longer considered an Umno stronghold as PN started to make inroads and built strong influence in the area.

He said this was due to a shift in voter support in the segment influenced by two main factors, namely the Malay and Islamic narratives championed by the coalition.