Menteri besar Sanusi Md Nor said the same hill, which saw excess rainwater gushing down last weekend displacing more than 1,000 people, was initially set aside as a 5,000ha forest plantation in 2007.
He said after PAS took over the state administration from Barisan Nasional in 2008, the property was turned into a timber latex clone (TLC) plantation, with yearly dividends from open-tender logging shared with some 300 of the poorest families in Baling, as part of the “ladang rakyat” (people’s plantation) project.
“As soon as the government changed hands in 2013, with BN back in charge, the ‘ladang rakyat’ project was scrapped, with just 400 acres (162ha) of land planted with TLC varieties under the first phase.
“The state government then changed it into durian farms of the musang king variety, touted to be the largest in the world.
“The initial approval for the plantation project in 2007 was 12,355 acres (5,000ha). After it became a durian farm, this increased to 30,000 acres (12,140ha) over a span of six years, between 2013 and 2019,” he told FMT.
Sanusi was responding to accusations that his government and the one led by the late PAS leader Azizan Abdul Razak between 2008 and 2013 are to be blamed for the cultivation of plantations up on the hill.
He said he wanted to focus on solving the problems suffered by the people in Baling right now, and was not fingerprinting at others. “But I have to present the facts so that the people can judge for themselves.”
Sanusi said under forestry guidelines, only seven types of species are allowed in forest plantations. Durians are not among them.
He said only 20% of these farms are permitted for other species, depending on the approval of the forestry department.
He said the Gunung Inas plantation has a condition that no logging should be carried out and no plantations must be on hillslopes above 1,000m from sea level. However, cultivation appeared to have gone beyond that limit.
Sanusi said when he took over as menteri besar in July 2020, he ordered the durian plantation to cease operations and ordered replanting on all barren earth there for safety.
“I ordered the farming to be stopped as Baling had been constantly hit by mud floods from Gunung Inas since 2019. Even the Pakatan Harapan state exco members were making noise at that time.
“Following the floods earlier this week, there were claims that irrigation ponds at the durian farms had burst.
“This is not true as I saw the ponds were intact when I took a helicopter ride to survey the affected area. But the barren earth is still there.
“The fact is, there was prolonged heavy rain atop the hill and the water came charging downhill,” he said.
Sanusi said moving forward, the state government will alienate a two-acre (0.8ha) piece of land next to Kampung Keda Sedik to rehouse those who have been displaced by the floods.
He said 802 homes were affected by the floods. Fifteen had been declared a total loss, while another 14 suffered severe damage.
He said these 29 families whose homes were damaged would be prioritised for relocation at the new piece of land. Homes costing RM57,000 each will be built for them there.
This morning, 591 victims were reported to be still staying at three temporary relief centres in Baling.