JERANTUT: Residents in Kuala Tahan here had, back in 2013, sensed something was amiss about the sturgeon fish-farming project.
Two years later, they heaved a sigh of relief when it was announced by then state Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Abu Bakar Harun that the project would be relocated after failing to get Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) approval two years later.
The arrest of five individuals — three serving and two former staff of Felda — by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Tuesday, in connection with the sturgeon-farming project in their backyard, have now raised eyebrows.
Tour guide Roslan Abu Kassim, 52, said the sturgeon farm was a hot topic in Kuala Tahan several years ago but after the project was halted, people began to forget about it.
“Back then, when land-clearing work started, people were furious as not a single signboard had been put up at the site and none of the residents had been engaged in a dialogue session.
“Some 80 per cent of the people in Kuala Tahan are directly involved in tourism, ranging from boatmen to tour operators, and they feared that their income would be affected.
“Everyone knew from the start that Kuala Tahan was not a suitable location for the farm as it went against the eco-tourism concept,” he said yesterday.
Roslan, who is also Taman Negara Bird Group chairman, claimed some quarters had pushed for the project to kick off prematurely and jumped the gun by starting land-clearing work.
“Now, the site of the sturgeon farm is deserted. Luckily, they did not put up any structures or dig any ponds.”
Boatman Shukor Abdullah, 60, said those involved in the project only emphasised how sturgeon-farming activities would create jobs and boost the local economy.
“Villagers did not take an interest in the project as they were clueless about sturgeon farming, but we all knew something was not right. There were even some South Korean men working at the site but everyone left after the project was cancelled,” he said.
Jerantut member of parliament Datuk Ahmad Nazlan Idris, who visited the site in September 2014, had ordered work to stop after it was found to have flouted regulations.
He said some of the project’s irregularities included its implementation, which was hastily done without proper planning, and the location, as Kuala Tahan was a tourist area.
Pahang Malaysian Nature Society chairman Chin Wai Fatt said their concern had been that environmental regulations were not adhered to.
“There seemed to be a lot of loopholes in the project and minimal stakeholder consultations, which left villagers clueless. No one expected MACC to dig into the project.”
A Department of Environment spokesman said studies on the location and DEIA were only conducted after enforcement agencies instructed the company involved to do so.