SIBU: Villagers in the Sekuau resettlement scheme have demanded to be paid dividends from a federal land agency’s palm oil operations, and called for work on the plantation to be stopped.
Village chairman Henry Kanyan Vincent Rawing said the federal government-owned Felcra Bhd had failed to pay dividends to 404 participants from 24 longhouses in the resettlement scheme.
He said Felcra had only paid the participants dividends four times since starting operation about 25 years ago in the area.
The resettlement scheme located 74km from here was created under the Rajang Area Security Command in 1972 to curb communist activities at that time.
He said Felcra had failed to bring any form of development to the Sekuau area or improve the economic standard of residents.
A police report was lodged against the Felcra management yesterday by longhouse headman, Tuai Rumah Labang Ayom, to enable investigations to be carried out by police and government officials.
He alleged that Felcra has been giving excuses for not paying dividends and that there was no agreement with the residents about it.
“This is not our problem. What we know is that we have handed over the land to be developed and if based on the excuse of no agreement between us and Felcra, then Felcra should stop operations immediately,” he said.
Felcra is scheduled to replant oil palm in Sekuau next year in the 900-hectare property.
