KUANTAN: Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail has left it up to the people to judge whether he was a "gangster" as alleged by a former member of parliament for evicting illegal farmers in Cameron Highlands several years ago.
He said only the person who had posted the video on Tik Tok several days ago had labelled him as "gangster".
"Nevermind, let netizens decide. He is the only person saying it and others did not even mention it… I am not a gangster," he told reporters after presenting Ramadan aid to mosques and suraus here today.
Wan Rosdy was commenting on a viral video by former Padang Serai member of parliament N. Gobalakrishnan who described him a "gangster" for taking action against the vegetable farmers.
Gobalakrishnan was believed to be referring to the large-scale enforcement operations – Op Lestari 2 – on illegal farms in Cameron Highlands by the Pahang government in Dec, 2019. The farmers were issued with eviction notices.
Meanwhile, Wan Rosdy said stern action was taken against the farmers as they had carried out illegal farming near the Kuala Terla water catchment area and the Pahang government had to put a stop to such activities.
"If the farming activities were not halted then it will continue to spread (other areas) and the integrity of the government will be questioned. Rules were adhered to, including issuing warning notice before enforcement action was taken," he said.
In the Tik Tok video, Gobalakrishnan was heard saying that Wan Rosdy had entered the farms (in Cameron Highlands) like a gangster destroying hundreds of acres of farmland.
At the event today, Wan Rosdy gave RM2,500 to 42 mosques and RM1,500 to 42 suraus throughout Pahang, totaling RM168,000.