CHUKAI: The comfortable life led by Felda settlers today did not just come rolling in, but is the result of the vision of previous Umno leaders who thought of a way of providing Malaysians a better life by taking them out of poverty, says Terengganu Umno chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Said.
He said since Felda's establishment in 1956, plots of land given to each settler to work on had not only made their lives easier, but they could now live in luxury.
"Remember when the government (led by Umno and Barisan Nasional) set up Felda? It was all jungle at the time. Today, the settlers lead a comfortable life with all the facilities and equipment available (to them). It's just that when there are one or two issues, they forget about Umno.
"Today, their children are successful. Living in bungalows, most of them with 10 acres of land," said the former Terengganu menteri besar, while appealing to Felda settlers to return to vote for BN in the Kemaman Parliamentary by-election on Dec 2.
He was met when accompanying BN candidate, former chief of defence force General (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor in the latter's walkabout in Felda Neram 1 here, which is one of the six Felda areas in Kemaman.
There are 112,635 settlers in 317 Felda areas nationwide at present.
Ahmad said Raja Mohamed Affandi was the best candidate for the constituency and could become a "bridge" connecting Terengganu and the federal government administration in Putrajaya.
Meanwhile, Raja Mohamed Affandi, who faces PAS' candidate – Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar – in the by-election, said he was moved by the reception shown by Felda settlers towards him.
"I think the machinery has worked hard. This is the result of hard work.
"We see a change where people whose support for us had become a question mark, are now with us. That is a blessing that may be an advantage for us," he said. – BERNAMA