FELDA Chuping settlers get land grants after 44 year-wait

PADANG BESAR, Jan 25  -- After 44 years of waiting, the 447 settlers of  FELDA Chuping  finally get their land titles today.

The received the land titles from Menteri  Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man at a ceremony held at Dewan FELDA Chuping.

One of the recipients, Hamid Ali, 75, expressed his gratitude to the state government for hearing their plight.

"Alhamdulillah, our struggle for 44 years to get land ownership is finally realised even though some of us have long departed, but it will be inherited by their children," he told reporters today.

Affectionately known as Pak Ngah among the settlers, Hamid said he was happy with his decision to migrate from being a fisherman to a FELDA settler.

Another recipient, Izan Asmawi Hamidan, 41 said today was a historic moment for all the settlers at FELDA Chuping.

“As a second-generation settler, I feel lucky because I am given the chance to continue with the family's legacy and continue to work on the land given by the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Azlan Man said the process of issuing the land titles took a long time because of the size of the land involved , which was more than 809 hectares or over 2,000 acres.

"The settlers have been working their land since 1978,” he said, adding that the settlers in FELDA Rimba Mas and FELDA Mata Ayer received their land titles in 2017.

--BERNAMA