Selangor State EXCO member in charge of Planation workers warns estate owners not to treat estate workers as sucked oranges. In responding ex-estate workers issues involving Tumbuk estate, Dr Xavier Jayakumar stated in his press statement that Selangor State Government seeks an equitable solution for ex- estate workers of Tumbuk estate previously owned by the MIC’s investment arm Maika Holdings Bhd. His press statement is reproduced below.

“The jurisdiction to control the transfer of estate land rests with the Estate Land Board (ELB) in accordance with S 214A of the National Land Code. As per S 214A (5) the ELB can refuse or cancel an approval if any representation is false or incorrect or if it appears that the approval is not be in the public interest.

Maika Holdings, the previous owner of the Tumbuk estate, had promised to build alternative housing for the ex-estate workers in 2006. In 2010 Maika Holdings Bhd was taken over by G Team Resources & Holding Sdn Bhd lead by Tan Sri Gnanalingam. Since then, the SSG has received representation from the ex-estate workers for housing and land for relocation of a temple and Tamil school.

The SSG has an obligation to protect the ex-estate workers. Estate workers who have had contributed for generations and toiled to build the nation’s economy have long been living as marginalized communities. They are often thrown out as ‘sucked oranges’. The SSG will use the arm of the legal provisions of the NLC to compel the estate land owners to fulfill their part of the obligations in accordance with the SSG policies and public interest.

The G Team is bound by the promises made by Maika. Therefore any proposal by G Team to transfer the Tumbuk estate land must incorporate a mechanism to fulfill the promises made by Maika.

As todate, the SSG has yet to receive any application from G Team for any transfer of Tumbuk esate land without encumbrances or with any meaningful proposal accommodating the promises made by Maika to the ex-estate workers. Should the G Team submit such proposal the SSG will have no objection as to the transfer of the land as per NLC provisions.”

YB Dr Xavier Jayakumar, EXCO for Health, Plantation Workers, Poverty and Caring Government