The reason: To request that no stern action be taken against them should they be forced to have a sit-in at Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob’s office this December.
Cameron Highlands PSM secretary B Suresh told reporters today that he was worried the same thing that happened to them in 2012 would happen again.
PSM and the farmers had attempted unsuccessfully several times to get an appointment with the menteri besar from 2008 to 2012.
Several of them then went to his office in 2012 and refused to move until he agreed to set an appointment.
“There were 26 adults, including four PSM members and five children,” Suresh said. “At 4pm the police came and arrested us. The children were released except for one child who was still a baby then and couldn’t be separated from the mother.”
JTRG or Jawatankuasa Tanah, Rumah dan Gerai is a committee made up of Cameron Highlands farmers, poor and small-shop owners. They have been demanding a meeting with Adnan since October to talk about land ownership woes that some farmers are facing.
Earlier this month, the menteri besar’s secretary, Nordin Ibrahim, brought them to his office to discuss a date to meet the MB.
“He wanted to set it for January but we insisted on an early date and he finally agreed to set it for Dec 12,” Suresh said, adding that if the appointment were to be cancelled at the last minute, as had happened back in 2012, Cameron Highlands PSM and the JTRG would have a sit-in in front of the MB’s office.
Today, Suresh handed a memorandum meant for the Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun to assistant superintendent (ASP) Norhafizah Mohd Yusak from the Bukit Aman Corporate Communications department.
“She has promised to pass the memorandum directly to the IGP,” Suresh said.
In recent interviews, farmers had complained that only certain people were given land permits and they demanded an explanation for the double standards.