KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) will be organising the ‘Ekspresi Felda Negaraku Malaysia’ carnival beginning July 21 in Putrajaya, in conjunction with its national-level Settlers’ Day.
Felda chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said the three-day programme, to be held in front of the Palace of Justice, would serve as a platform to instil the love for Felda among its second generation settlers.
He said the event would be filled with various information on Felda including the involvement of non-Malay settlers in the land scheme which many were still unaware of.
“The carnival will showcase the history of Felda from those land-clearing days until what it is now...One cannot force love but love should come from deep within and knowing where you've come from.
“I believe that the love (for Felda) will come naturally when they (second generation) are aware of the collective efforts put in by the previous generation in clearing the land to make way for oil palm plantations,” he said during an interview in ‘Program Ekspresi Khas’ produced by Bernama Radio at Wisma Bernama here yesterday.
Shahrir said Felda targeted over 50,000 visitors from all walks of life to attend the carnival, namely double the figures achieved at the Felda Settlers’ Day celebration in Jengka, Pahang last year.
“This carnival will certainly be different than the previous celebration (Settlers’ Day) as we want the people to gather on the spirit of ‘Negaraku’. The selection of the location is symbolic as we want all people including the settlers to set their foot in Putrajaya, the country's administrative capital,” he said.
Among the activities lined up at the carnival are sales and exhibitions on small and medium-sized industry products, food trucks and the 'Explore Felda with Upin and Ipin' programme.
The first day of the carnival will see activities including a futsal tournament involving 54 parliamentary constituencies with Felda settlements and a religious forum.
Among the itineraries on the second day are ‘fun run’, zumba, auto show, the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) talk programme, ‘zapin’ and ‘dikir barat’ competitions, as well as the ‘Ekspresi Negaraku’ concert which will be performed by local artistes who come from the settler's families.
Asked on the strategies in dealing with slander and allegations against Felda and its settlers, Shahrir said the government agency has its own special team which had been tasked to address such issues especially on social media.
“We are not just talking but we walk the talk to prove the success of Felda. We are not just sitting and denying things but (we) often go to the ground to meet the settlers,” he said.
Shahrir was also confident that Felda would always provide the best service to its settlers by ensuring that the revenue payment to the settlers to be made on time as well as ensuring the welfare of the settlers, in line with its main objective to eradicate poverty.
To date, Felda has helped over 110,000 settlers and their families over the past six decades. – BERNAMA