It is no more tenable for Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail to hold on to his post as he did not reveal the truth behind the eviction of farmers and the demolition of more than 60 farms in Kuala Terla, Cameron Highlands.
According to Wan Rosdy, the farmers were the main source of water pollution in Sungai Ichat, one of the rivers that supply water to residents in Cameron Highlands.
It has been found that the river that supplies water to residents is the Sungai Terla and not the Sungai Ichat, although both rivers are nearby and merge after some point.
So whether Wan Rosdy is aware or not, Sungai Ichat is not the source of water supply to residents.
I don’t know how the farmers became the source of the problem as they have worked on their agricultural plots for more than 60 years and they had obtained temporary licences from the state land authorities until 2017.
How come all of a sudden these farmers who tilled the land for generations have become illegal operators? Does this mean the land department has no record of their activities?
Why the focus on the so-called wrongdoings of small farmers? Why are well-established plantations let off the hook for causing massive pollution? Is it because they are much more powerful and well connected?
A permanent agricultural settlement was already in the making not only due to the provision of temporary licences but also because the farms had a good access road, and recently they had been given permission to establish their own power station for generation of electricity.
Just because some false reports were made, Wan Rosdy, without proper investigation, ordered the destruction of these farms without realising the consequences of his decision on the future of food production in Cameron Highlands.
Wan Rosdy, by consistently insisting that the farmers had to go, and not engaging them in a discussion, lost his leadership mantle in governing the state in the best possible manner.
Moreover, there are grounds to believe that he might have succumbed to political pressure to move against the farmers who are considered supporters of PH.
He should resign before more embarrassing information is revealed about his cruelty to the innocent farmers.
P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister II.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.