‘ADNAN MET FARMERS ON DEC 13’
He assured them problems would be solved, says Goonasekaran
MENTERI Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob’s special officer on Indian affairs has brushed aside reports branding the MB as arrogant and turning a deaf ear to a group of farmers who sought to meet him on Dec 12.
Datuk R. Goonasekaran, who is Pahang MIC chairman, said Adnan met the group of 19 farmers and residents from Cameron Highlands at Yayasan Pahang the following day (Dec 13) and assured them that he would resolve the land matter.
“It is not that Adnan did not want to listen to the farmers’ plight. A viral video clip claiming that Adnan did not entertain the group was captured a day (Dec 12) before the meeting.
“Adnan wanted to hear from the farmers and residents themselves, not their representative, who is Cameron Highlands Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary, B. Suresh. During the meeting, he (Adnan) told the farmers that their problems would be solved in stages and advised them to be patient.”
A source, who was present at the meeting last week, said although Adnan did not meet the group at the Yayasan Pahang lobby on Dec 12, he met them the following day and listened to their grouses.
“He (Adnan) spoke to them and
looked through the documents that they had brought individually. The group members were satisfied with his explanation on the matter.”
Last week, news reports, based on a short video clip, claimed that Adnan had refused to entertain the farmers and residents, and walked away when a female resident stepped forward to speak. In the video, he was heard telling them to go home.
Adnan, who is known for his distinctive and outspoken character, showed his softer side when he arranged to meet the 19 individuals at Yayasan Pahang the following day (Dec 13), and even greeted the young children who had accompanied their parents.
Goonasekaran, who was appointed by Adnan to handle the issue, said he met Cameron Highlands District and Land Office representatives on Monday to discuss the land title applications and their status.
“I brought along all the documents that were handed to me by the 19 individuals. The District and Land Office went through the applications’ status and decided to hold a one-on-one interview with each applicant next month.
“The District and Land Office is not rejecting the applications; it wishes to scrutinise them on a case-by-case basis and assist them (the individuals) with the submission of all required documents.
“The office handled a similar application by another group of farmers in 2012 and will look into this. I will be present during the interview to ensure everything goes smoothly.”
Goonasekaran said he was informed that some of the documents were genuine, while there were several in the group who did not fill out the forms as required, while some were occupying road and river reserves.
A District and Land Office spokesman said checks on documents provided by Goonasekaran revealed that some of the applications were in the early stages of being processed while some were seeking titles for land owned by others.