Musa (centre) and Abdul Rahim (at Musa’s left) with other local dignitaries and few hundreds SLDB’s settlers receiving their living allowances presented by Musa.

14/03/2016 (Borneo Post) - Almost 1,000 oil palm settlers here received good news yesterday when Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman announced funding for their Settlers Oil Palm Replant Programme.

Musa handed over the payment of RM8,332,800 allowances for the 958 recipients from nine settlement schemes of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) in east coast of Sabah.

The nine sttlement schemes are Sungai Manila, Ulu Dusun, Suan Lamba, Silabukan, Lormalong in Sandakan and Apas Balung, Block 31, Saludong and Merotai in Tawau.

Musa said the Government will not only fund the replanting of their crops, allowance of RM800 per month will also be given to each of the oil palm settlers during the waiting period before their oil palm can be harvested.

“I am aware that there are settlers who receive less income because their oil palm has aged and the yield has decreased. I believe that this programme will help these settlers to maximize their income when their new oil palm is ready to be harvested,” he told a press conference at Taman Cahaya hall, Sungai Manila Mile 12 here, yesterday.

Musa thanked the Federal Government for allocating a huge fund to the programme through Sabah State Land Development Board.

He said RM88 million was allocated to the programme under the 11th Malaysia Plan.

Meanwhile, Sabah State Land Development Board Chairman, Datuk Seri Panglima Abdul Rahim Ismail said that he sees the Government’s effort as an unusual transformation.

“Before this, local settlers have to turn to commercial banks for loans. Now, grants and soft loans could be applied from the Government and it is more likely to be approved.

“RM232 million has been allocated to the board which means we have RM70 million of funds each year for five years. RM9 million a year was also allocated for RM800 per month allowance for the settlers, in which before this, only fishermen get this type of allowance.

“All this would not have been possible without the help of the Chief Minister Musa Aman for understanding our problems and bringing it to the Federal Government, and came back with a solution,” he said.

Present at the event were Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Zakaria Edris, MP for Libaran Datuk Juslie Ajirol, Sukau Assemblyman Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman and Sandakan Municipal Council President Datuk James Wong.