Felda helping to change lives

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) has provided the opportunity for rural settlers to seek greener pastures in more developed areas, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
He said the agency, which was formed 60 years ago initially to handle the resettlement of rural poor and to organise smallholder farms growing cash crops, made it possible for social mobility to take place in the country.
"Felda's goals are not only to increase the rural community's income, provide land for those without land and eradicate poverty, but it has also succeeded in enabling social mobility in the community.
"This is what allowed some 50,000 settlers' children to be living in the Klang Valley right now. The number could be even more," he said during the Salam Perantauan Warga Felda 2016 programme, here, today.
In saying that Felda has achieved what it has set out to achieve in terms of its formation goals, Najib stressed the need for the agency to utilise its strength and assets to achieve bigger success in the future.
He said the agency should especially look at ways on how to provide better opportunities to second and third Felda generations.
Meanwhile, Najib also presented appointment certificates to 10 new Gabungan Pemikir Profesional Felda (Gaprof) chairmen for the 2016 to 2018 session.
They include Tan Sri Othman Mahmood (who will be the Public Service Cluster chairman), Tan Sri Rozali Ismail (Entrepreneurship Cluster chairman) and Prof Datuk Dr. Khairuddin Ab Hamid (Education Cluster chairman).
Earlier in a meeting with 11 of the 32 members of the country's Olympic contingent to Rio at the Prime Minister's Office, here, Najib expressed his desire for the country's contingent to bring back the nation's elusive first Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"One of the dreams of the rakyat has always been for our Olympic athletes to win the country's first gold medal.
"This has always been our national dream. I'm sure all of you (national Olympians) will bear this in your mind when you compete there," he said.
Najib promised a RM1 million reward in return for those who could deliver and end the country's wait for the gold medal in the world's largest sports competition.
"We will also provide RM5,000 in monthly pensions for gold medalists, RM3,000 for silver medalists and RM2,000 for bronze medalists. We hope you will do your level best," he said.