KUANTAN: Felda Bukit Goh settlers have conceded 'defeat' in their hope of reviving bauxite mining activities and are considering moving on to greener pastures.
After seven years of waiting for the government to allow bauxite excavation works to resume, the settlers who are seeing zero income from their abandoned land with no oil palm replanting activities, now appear to be weighing other options.
The settlers are now mulling over a fresh proposal to lease their lands for a large-scale solar farming project which would guarantee them a monthly income from as low as RM3,000 for 21 years.
The project will be coordinated by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Bukit Goh known as Pertubuhan Gagasan Dua Generasi.
The NGO's chairman Jefri Salim said the moratorium on bauxite mining here which was imposed on Jan 15, 2016, was extended on nine occasions before it was withdrawn in March 31, 2019 but there were still no signs that mining works would resume.
Jefri, a second generation Felda Bukit Goh settler said the NGO was set up in August 2019 to coordinate and complete all necessary paperwork and seek approval from the relevant agencies to get mining works back on track.
"Our only focus was to carry out mining works in a sustainable manner but the process appeared to be complicated and we do not know what is the reason. The mandatory EIA ( Environmental Impact Assessment) was rejected twice last year.....usually when the EIA does not get the approval then the chances for mining works to resume are slim.
"Gagasan Dua Generasi was recently approached by a company to discuss the solar farming project and upon listening to their briefing, we (the committee) felt this company had come to the settlers' rescue. The settlers might be able to earn a fixed monthly income if everything goes as planned and we will not lose our lands," he told reporters when met at Felda Bukit Goh here.
The NGO yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Loyalty Holdings Sdn. Bhd, the company entrusted with the solar farming project at Dewan Semai Bakti Bukit Goh.
Jefri said although the discussion with the company was still at the initial stage but things have been proceeding smoothly and appear to be promising.
"The 4.5 ha (10 acres) lands owned by each settler will be leased to the company with a minimum monthly rental returns of RM3,000 for 21 years. The land will belong to the settlers and the entire process will be coordinated by the organisation, as we do not want a repeat of the previous dark incidents (lopsided agreement during bauxite days)," he said.
Speaking on the MoU signed yesterday, Jefri explained that it was to signal their agreement to work together with the company on the project and move on to the next process, including holding sessions with the settlers.
"Nothing has been confirmed, but the company wants to make this a reality. Once the settlers understand, then we will explain the benefits and prepare a proper agreement...we hope solar farming will put the bauxite mining nightmare to an end.
"The organisation is hoping for a win-win situation where the settlers can generate an income and the company can sell the renewable energy to TNB (Tenaga Nasional Bhd). The company is prepared to assist the settlers, and they want the settlers to understand the entire project before agreeing to the deal," he said.
Meanwhile, second generation Felda settler Azman Ahmad, 45, described the latest development as positive news after years of waiting with uncertainty.
"The settlers came here today to see and listen for themselves on the project. It is something new....we are looking forward to the future meeting sessions for better understanding of the solar project.
"The settlers hope there will be a dialogue session with the company involved so that we can understand the payment structure. Solar farming is something new to us, so it might require some time for us to have a better understanding on the project," he said.
Meanwhile, Mohd Ghazali Kassim, 50, said over the years, various companies came to the settlement with promises that the mining works will begin soon but nothing has materialised.
"Over the seven years, various quarters have come here with several promises, and the settlers ended up with empty promises. We are not prepared to lose the land which was once our major source of income....we thought bauxite mining would change our lives but sadly it ended up as a disaster.
"Since the bauxite ban was imposed, the lands have been left abandoned and the plots which were cleared for mining works were not involved in Felda's replanting exercise. Some settlers had to depend on their children for financial support and many from the first generation were no longer around," he said.
The father-of-five said during the heydays of the bauxite mining activities, some settlers earned between RM500,000 and RM2 million each, and there were those who did not receive a single sen as the mining works had just begun when the moratorium was imposed.
It is learnt that the stringent EIA process served as the stumbling block for the bauxite mining activities to operate as the government had finalised the new standard operating procedure (SOP) for bauxite mining in Pahang in Nov 2019.
Some 800,000 tonnes of bauxite were heaped at several stockpiles around Felda Bukit Goh and there were many areas that had yet to be excavated.
Felda Bukit Goh has a total of 671 settlers and while some still continued with their oil palm plantation, others could no longer operate their lands after the mining activities were halted in 2016.