Felda Settlers Assembly should be called off if connected to Red shirt rally

PETALING JAYA: The Felda Settlers Assembly on Sept 16 should be called off if it is in any way connected to the coming Red shirt rally on the same day, Felda Settlers Children Association (Anak) president Mazlan Aliman said today.
Mazlan questioned the legitimacy of the assembly and urged Felda director general Datuk Hanapi Suhada to clarify several key points in a letter issued by one Zulhai Mohd Nor Affendy, allegedly on behalf of the Felda Community Development director.
"Anak wants to clarify, what is the motive behind this assembly. If it is related to the Red shirt rally, we urge that the assembly be cancelled.
"Felda must not be involved in any activity that presents a security risk and exploits its settlers for certain political agenda," he said in a Facebook post today.
According to pictures of the letter, which Mazlan also posted, an estimated 20,000 people from various Felda settlements will be ferried into Kuala Lumpur by 500 buses and the group will converge on Dataran Jalan Conlay at 11am.
The letter by Zulhai also states that the objective of the rally is to show unity and solidarity of the Felda people along with organisations and non-governmental organisations.
Mazlan also asked if the assembly is an official Felda event and if Hanapi is aware of it, and if Felda is bearing the cost of ferrying the 20,000 settlers.
"If funds from Felda's budget are used, it is an abuse of power and the police along with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must investigate," he said.
Plans for a "Himpunan Maruah Melayu" have been circulating on social media for the past two weeks after the mammoth overnight Bersih 4.0 rally on Aug 29 and Aug 30.