Isa Has His Job Cut Out
A battle of wills: Isa won the Bagan Pinang by-election in October last year against PAS with a huge majority. Now he has to win over the hearts and minds of Felda and affiliated voters for Barisan.
By Baradan Kuppusamy
The battle for the hearts and minds of the estimated 600,000 Felda and affiliated voters, who are mostly Malays, has begun. And the new general for Barisan Nasional is former Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abu Samad who had won the Bagan Pinang by-election in October last year by a huge 5,435-vote majority against PAS.
His victory was the first for Barisan after a series of seven by-election defeats beginning with the Permatang Pauh parliamentaty seat in August 2008 when PKR president Datin Dr Wan Azizah Ismail resigned to pave the way to her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s return to Parliament.
As the new Felda chairman, it is Isa’s job to re-connect with Felda’s 113,000 settler families and their dependents – some of whom are second and third generation settlers in 317 land schemes. Felda is the world’s single biggest plantation operator by land size.
It is probably a case of getting the right man for the right job because Isa has experience, tact and common touch needed for his new job.
The 61-year-old has an enormous task as Felda chairman because of the growing angst and disconnect between Umno, the founder and benefactor of Felda settlers some six decades ago, and the settlers.
Felda is particularly close to the heart of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak because the settlers are traditional supporters of Umno and Felda was the brainchild of Najib’s father.
The landscape is different now as Pakatan Rakyat, especially PAS, makes conscious efforts to win over the Felda voters by offering them numerous incentives in cash and kind.
In the recent by-elections in Hulu Selangor and Galas, Barisan’s victory was boosted by continued strong support from Felda settlers but the voting results also showed that PAS was beginning to make inroads by garnering about 20% to 30% of their support.
Barisan had at one time received total support from the settlers, mostly out of genuine liking and gratitude to Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Umno and the Government for getting thousands of Malays and a minority of non-Malays, mostly Indians and orang asli, out of grinding poverty.
But a new generation of settlers, who did not experience hunger, has emerged. They face other problems ranging from diabetes, lack of social and economic mobility and advancement as professionals. Since they are living outside the mainstream, they harbour a feeling of alienation and a perception that they have been neglected.
Felda also has grown in size and expanded its business activities overseas and to a certain extent, the focus is not so much on the welfare of the settlers.
Sociologists had pointed out the isolation faced by the children and grandchildren of Felda settlers who described the land schemes as “prisons”. There is a steady migration of disenchanted youths to the cities, many of whom unfortunately become Mat Rempits.
Najib wants the conglomerate to re-focus on the common man, the human aspects and poverty eradication.
While many children of the settlers have become doctors, engineers, lawyers and pilots, Najib nevertheless wants a major transformation plan tailored for the second and third generation to improve income as well as encourage entrepreneurship, education, professional training and housing.
Isa, therefore, has his job cut out for him as the new Felda chairman – to reconnect with the ordinary settler and restore their sense of belonging. Isa has vast political and administrative experience to do the job.
He has nearly two decades experience as a Mentri Besar. He has never lost the common touch, the humility and the self-effacing manners that all endeared him to voters.
PAS, on the other hand, has formed the Organisation of Felda settlers or ANAK that is led by Mazlan Aliman, a member of the PAS central committee and information chief of Johor PAS.
ANAK is actively organising forums and rallies with settlers, promising them a “new deal” if they vote for Pakatan Rakyat.
Aliman, who wrote a book criticising Felda under the title Felda Dulu Tolong, Sekarang Along is speculated to be the Pakatan candidate in the Jan 30 Tenang by-election where settlers in three schemes could make a difference between victory and defeat.
It is Isa’s job to win over the settlers for Barisan. - The Star
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