BN has failed to do what is most expected and required by labourers in the estates

Ceramah held at Belham estate, Ayer Tawar on Saturday, July 2, 2011

( Pakatan Rakyaat has organised a ceramah at a predominately Indian area at Bellham Estate last Saturday. Together with Sdri. Kamache( Pahang Wanitha Chief), Sdr.Muthu (ex assemblyman Teja and Visva ( DAP Ipoh Barat member), we drove from Ipoh to the above place.

I was shocked to see police vehicles at the ceramah area.

Inquires made there confirmed that over 30 policeman were present. Why so many is any one’s guess.

One thing I noticed was that no one was wearing a yellow T-Shirt! The official wear for the BERSIH rally is the yellow T-shirt. Many Malaysians have randomly been arrested for wearing yellow T-shirt. )

What is the BERSIH 2.0 rally about?

BERSIH which means clean asks for free and fair elections to be conducted in the country. Over the last half century elections have been conducted but they were neither fair nor clean elections.

The electoral rolls were unclean in that many dead persons were still on the electoral roll, that in many houses a big number of people were registered as voters. Worse still, there were allegations that different races were said to be residing in a single house.

BERSIH also insists a longer period of campaigning, equal access to media and transparency in the collection of donation. Further that the electoral rolls should be cleaned up.

The decision by the Home Ministry to ban BERSIH is illogical and irrational.

‘Estate Workers Revolving Fund for House Ownership’ by the late Tun Abdul Razak

In 1973, the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak launched a housing scheme for estate workers to build affordable houses for each and every worker in the estate.

The late Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak had introduced a housing scheme called ‘Estate Workers Revolving Fund for House Ownership’ to help estate workers buy their own homes.

In the early 70's, the majority of Indians were laborers and many were employed and lived in the many estates in the country. The noble idea of the PM should be appreciated.

But this noble scheme has failed to deliver the promised affordable houses to the working people in the estate.

As the laborers had been the pillar stone for the growth of the nation the then PM ordered estate owners to build terrace house for its workers. By this means the estate workers could buy houses and pay through salary deductions.

Over 95% percent of the workers are still renting houses in the estates and they can be evicted any time. The scheme has failed to be implemented fully. Why is this so?

The lack of seriousness and poor policy implementation by the Government has resulted in the utter failure of this scheme.

The Indians have been deeply involved in the development and the progress of the country. Their sacrifice and sweat has been forgotten by the BN Government.

We need a pro active Government. BN Government has failed to do what is most expected and required by the laborers in the estates.

The Pakatan Rakyat Government will improve on the housing scheme and better deliver to those who need the houses.

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