Kg. Sg. Getah 2: The Sequel Intimidation and harassment follow media exposure
by Kumpulan Kemajuan Masyarakat
Since their failed attempt to meet with him on 30 December 2001, the villagers have sent five letters to the Menteri Besar asking for his intervention and help that was promised during the meeting with his senior aides. There has been absolutely no response from the Menteri Besar. The villagers are persisting and are asking for an appointment to meet with him directly.
However Bukit Selambau assemblyman and Kedah State Exco member, Dato’ V. Saravanan is especially upset over the media coverage given to the villagers’ version of their plight. His first response (through the mainstream Tamil newspapers) was to lay the blame entirely upon the villagers. He accused them of being illegal squatters and of being stubborn and unreasonable in not accepting the landowner’s generous reduction in land rent. He also suggested that the people of Kg. Sg. Getah 2 were an ungrateful lot as he had arranged free water supply for them.
The villagers’ response to the above statement was sent to all the Tamil newspapers; only a local Tamil monthly carried it (see press statement). In an immediate response, again through the mainstream Tamil newspapers, Saravanan threatened to take legal action against any parties that mentioned his name in the newspapers in relation to the Kg. Sg. Getah 2 issue. What was truly amazing was that in the very same press article, the landowner, K.S. Govindan also threatened legal action against any parties that defamed him in the newspapers. He also indicated that he was not willing to meet the villagers for any discussion unless they paid up the land rent and arrears first.
Two days later, the villagers of Kg. Sg. Getah 2 had another rude shock. Three unsavoury characters turned up in the village unannounced and went from house to house asking questions about who was responsible for the press statement and generally intimidating the people. The villagers decided to lodge a police report over this intimidation and since then there has been no further harassment. Key members of the Village Committee, however, still face occasional harassment from individuals who are unhappy with their independent efforts on behalf of the villagers.
At a recent JKKK meeting in Bukit Lembu, Saravanan mentioned that he is unable to help the villagers of Kg. Sg. Getah 2 as they were “illegal squatters”. He also mentioned that the Menteri Besar agrees with him and has also mentioned that he will not help the villagers. Furthermore, according to him, these people were under the influence of NGOs, so why should he help them? The villagers have written to the Menteri Besar asking him to confirm the validity of this statement attributed to him and asking him yet again for an appointment to meet him directly.
The events of the last two months have been an eye-opener for the villagers. The complicity between their elected representative and the landowner in denying them basic amenities is now very clear and out in the open. Their very own elected representative is now threatening legal action if they so much as mention his inability to help them. They are also unable to understand why the Menteri Besar, who promised to help them, is now strangely silent. Is it because the Menteri Besar is unable or unwilling to go against the wishes of his MIC exco member? That says a lot for Barisan National solidarity but does not impress the villagers who have to struggle daily without electricity, piped water or even a public telephone.
The villagers are not daunted by the indifference of the State government, the threat of legal action by their elected representative or by the harassment and intimidation. If anything, their resolve has been strengthened and they are now planning to take their plight to the Federal government.
Please Do Not Blame Us For Our Suffering
Press statement by the villagers of Kg. Sg. Getah 2, Sg. Lalang, Bedong, Kedah: February 2002
We refer to the press statements on Kg. Sg. Getah 2 by YB Datuk V. Saravanan, Kedah State MIC Chairman and Exco member on 1 January 2002 and 8 February 2002. We hope that you will allow us to tell our side of the story as we are poor people who are being blamed for our own suffering.
We do not have electricity and piped water in our houses because the landowner, Mr. K.S. Govindan, JP (MIC Chairman Sg. Getah and former Municipal Councillor Sg. Petani) has sent legal notices to JKR and TNB disallowing these agencies from connecting these amenities.
Between 1995 and 2002, Saravanan has held only two formal meetings with us and the landowner present, certainly not ten or six meetings.
The first meeting was held at the Dewan JKKK Bukit Lembu on 15 December 1995. At this meeting, Mr. K.S. Govindan demanded land rental of RM4 per month per household and arrears of 35 years rental amounting to RM1,680 per household. It is true that through the intervention of Saravanan and the District Officer (En. Haniffa), Govindan agreed to reduce the amount to RM10 per month per household and arrears of RM400.
However, it is important to note that we did not agree to this because Govindan insisted that he was going to impose land tenancy conditions that he will only reveal after we pay him the money. How can we expect to agree to such an unreasonable condition? Between 1995 and 1999, despite many requests to both Datuk Saravanan and Govindan, we were not informed of the tenancy conditions set by the landowner.
The second meeting was arranged by the Unit Perancang Ekonomi Kedah (Kedah Economic Planning Unit) and held at the Labour Office Sg. Petani on 10 August 1999 and was chaired by Saravanan. This meeting was arranged after we went to the Menteri Besar's office on 28 July 1999 to ask him to intervene directly in our problem.
At this meeting, Govindan changed his demands again and asked for land rental of RM8 per household (according to him each family is occupying two houses!) and arrears for 35 years (RM3360). He also set out the land tenancy conditions that we have to agree to. These include changing the name of the village to Ladang K.S. Govindan, no fencing around our houses, no rearing of animals, no cultivation and no repairs or renovation to our houses. He also claimed that all our houses belong to him and we cannot sell or rent our houses. We agreed to pay RM4 per household and arrears for a statutory period of 6 years as well as accept all reasonable tenancy conditions stipulated by law. There has been no response from both Saravanan and Govindan to our offer.
It is therefore not true that we are refusing to pay anything. Why would we want to be stubborn and prolong our suffering? We have met the representatives of the Kedah Menteri Besar four times between 1998 and 2001. All four times, we were promised that the State government would intervene and find a solution just as Saravanan promised when he campaigned twice in Kg. Sg. Getah 2 in 1995 and 1999.
At the last meeting with the Menteri Besar's Political Secretary and Private Secretary on 30 December 2001, we were told that Mr. Govindan plans to develop a housing project in the village. It is now clear that he is not sincere in negotiations with us and is not serious about resolving our problem. His intention seems to be to evict us by denying us basic amenities and that is why he keeps setting unreasonable conditions that cannot be met.
Saravanan must surely know about Govindan's plans. Yet he keeps blaming us as being uncooperative and unwilling to settle the problem. We are surprised why the villagers in the other places mentioned by him such as Sg. Para, Bukit Lembu, Tye Seng, Kongsi 6 and Kongsi 14 did not have to pay these land rentals and agree to tenancy conditions to enjoy basic amenities.
How can there be social justice when poor villagers like us who have lived for three generations in Kg. Sg. Getah 2 are termed as squatters who have to pay huge sums of money that we cannot afford before we can enjoy electricity and piped water?
If Saravanan is sincere about helping us, he should use the powers of the State government to acquire land to provide the necessary infrastructure for our houses. He should also ensure that we receive adequate compensation and alternative housing or land in case Govindan decides to evict us soon.
V. Subramaniam
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When the villagers of Kampung Sungei Getah 2, who are being denied electricity, piped water and telephone services by a local politician, took their plight to the media, they did not expect the strong reactions from certain quarters. A senior aide to the Kedah Menteri Besar told one of the workers that he cannot help them as their news was carried by the Internet media (to quote him: why don’t you ask the Internet people to help you?).