November 17, 2014

The move is to keep an eye on illegal land-clearing and fight corruption.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will station its officers in Cameron Highlands to tighten surveillance and monitor corruption to combat the problem of illegal land-clearing activities.

The move was made following MACC checks conducted since May last year which found there was no specific and systematic centre for the public to submit complaints effectively on illegal land-clearing and corruption.

Its deputy chief commissioner (operations), Mohd Shukri Abdull, said while waiting for government approval on the posting of permanent officers, the MACC would station officers there temporarily as soon as possible.

People can pass any information to MACC, he said in a statement here yesterday.

Mohd Shukri said although the MACC received complaints and information from time to time, it had a problem with inadequate evidence.

The MACC, through its inspection and consultancy division, has conducted checks to determine the cause of the problem in Cameron Highlands, he added.

On Nov 5, a mudslide occurred in Ringlet and Lembah Bertam, Cameron Highlands believed to have been partly contributed by illegal land-clearing activities resulting in the death of five people.

Last year, Mohd Shukri said the MACC had charged the people who illegally cleared land and tried to bribe an officer at the Land and District Office in Cameron Highlands.

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MACC to station officers in Camerons

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Ex-rep alleges 'Palace letters' responsible for excessive land clearing works

KUANTAN: A former state assemblyman claimed that letters purportedly issued from the Pahang palace have contributed to the proliferation of excessive land-clearing activities in Cameron Highlands.

Datuk Ho Yip Kap, who was the Tanah Rata representative from 2008 to 2013, said that during his tenure, very few of such letters were given out to aged farmers who wanted to earn a decent living by working on a small piece of land.

"Now, certain people who claimed to have connections to the palace are offering the letters for RM100,000 to RM300,000.

"Some greedy farmers took up the offer, resulting in massive and uncontrolled land-clearing activities.

"There are also some corrupt officers in the district office who give out the land-clearing permits discreetly," he said.

Due to this loophole, farmers and contractors would carry out land-clearing activities within 24 hours.

A source said RM20,000 would be collected from farmers for approval to clear one acre of land.

Ho said he had raised the matter at the state assembly, asking for a freeze on land-clearing permits and a ban on the use of heavy machinery in the highlands.

However, he said no concrete action was taken. Ho applauded former Cameron Highlands MP Datuk Seri S.K. Devamany for playing an active role and raising his concerns in Parliament in the past.

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Ex-rep alleges 'Palace letters' responsible for excessive land clearing works

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The Pahang Government wants the MACC to produce evidence of the allegations in its report.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pahang Government has reportedly taken the position that theres no evidence of politicians and the palace being involved in illegal land clearing in the Cameron Highlands, as alleged by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission in a report on July 22.

It was learnt that a meeting of the Pahang National Security Council meeting on July 22, chaired by Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan, dismissed the MACC report on the grounds that it was hearsay.

The Pahang Government wants the MACC to produce evidence of the allegations in its report, according to sources privy to the July 22 meeting. To say that the state government does not take action when confronted with facts is unfair.

Adnan has since been reminded by the Malay press not to overstay his welcome. He also stands accused by the Malay press of being arrogant.

The views expressed in the contents are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of FMT.

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Pahang dismisses MACC on land clearing

November 10, 2014

The Institution of Engineers offers its help in drawing up a master plan to prevent disasters.

PETALING JAYA: The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) has called for an integrated approach against floods and landslides in Cameron Highlands and offered its expertise in formulating a master plan to prevent such disasters.

In a press statement issued today, IEM President Lim Chow Hock also told the government to order an immediate freeze of excessive land clearing.

Any further opening up of the highlands will definitely aggravate the problem of soil erosion and increase the risk of flooding, he said.

The long term solution lies in the control of land use and the relevant authorities must be serious in tackling the root cause.

Referring to areas that have already been opened up, Lim said authorities should make sure that the land owners and operators undertake measures to reduce soil erosion.

He said the plastic houses that shelter vegetable farms on hilly slopes should have facilities to hold back water from flowing into rivers when it rains.

There must be an integrated approach to solve the recurrent flooding and landslide problem, which should include controlled land use and land clearing, the application of best agricultural management practices, the relocation of squatters along river reserves, the appropriate flood mitigation measures and the necessary flood forecasting and warning system, he said.

In order to prevent further loss of lives, it is important to formulate a Cameron Highlands Disaster Prevention Master Plan urgently.

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Halt land clearing in Cameron, says IEM

DAPs M Manogaran says it is an open secret that the land office and the Municipal Council are corrupt.

PETALING JAYA: DAP member M Manogaran has fingered the Land Office and Municipal Council in Cameron Highlands for being corrupt and allowing the horrific mud floods to occur last week in which five people were killed and hundreds evacuated.

In a statement, Manogaran said, It is open knowledge that the land office and the Majlis are corrupt.

Illegal land clearing is rampant. Uncontrolled land clearing is permitted under the guise of development.

He also attacked Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob for merely playing the blame game by saying residents dumping trash into the river resulted in waters bursting its banks during heavy rainfall.

This is an attempt to sweep the problem under the carpet. The problem is more than that. The real culprit is the land office and the local authority.

He also had some harsh words for current MP of Cameron Highlands, G. Palanivel who he said was simply engaging in fire fighting while the previous MP should have seen these tragedies coming Cameron Highlands way but did not see it.

Saying Cameron Highlands was facing such serious threats, Manogaran pointed out that approximately 30 landslides had occurred from Tapah all the way to the top.

He also lamented that the authorities had not even bothered to close the roads until today.

He added, It is not the rain (that caused the landslides) but clearing and disturbances to the hills which are not done properly and without expert advice.

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Mud floods: The real culprit is corruption

KUALA LUMPUR: The continuous land clearing activities in Cameron Highlands will probably cause the area to face bigger floods and landslides in the future, according to a geology expert.

Lecturer in Geology of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Assoc Prof Dr Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin said the greediness of settlers in clearing hilly areas to be turned into new vegetable farms would also cause soil degradation that could lead to landslides.

During heavy rains, the soil in the cleared hilly areas can erode and the existing dam is no longer capable of containing large quantity of water, and this situation will cause major floods, he told Bernama in response to the muddy floods in Cameron Highlands last Wednesday.

He said the soil in Cameron Highlands was no longer suitable for agricultural activities after the highland fell victim to uncontrolled land clearing activity.

They (settlers) cleared the land to open new vegetable farms because the existing land is no longer fertile due to the excessive use of chemical fertilisers.

This was done for profit, without even taking into consideration the risks of muddy floods and landslides that await the villagers, he said.

As such, Tajul Anuar called on the settlers to optimise the use of existing land by using organic fertilisers and good bacteria technology to re-fertilise the land.

He also called on the authority to take immediate action to stop land clearing activity and to close all illegal agriculture areas, which were mostly developed by foreign settlers.

Cameron Highlands is a national tourism icon noted for its beautiful landscape and cool weather. If the authorities do not do something about the land clearing activity, Cameron Highlands will slowly lose its visitors and eventually, its identity, he said.

In the 6.30pm incident last Wednesday, five people were killed, while five others were injured after their villages were hit by major floods when the water at the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam had to be released in stages following heavy downpours.

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