“FELDA’S transformation –31 initiatives in 3 phases” (SunBiz, Dec 19) refers. Institutional reform should take the following route:
– Set two main objectives for a new image
To be the most efficient agriculture organisation in the country.
To develop human resources in the Felda settlements to the highest possible level.
– Drop the term “peneroka”.
– Identify all areas in Felda schemes including land under settlers’ control that are not under main crops, and undertake a fasttrack programme to grow high price, value quality, high demand, high yielding crops or aquaculture produce for local and export market. The programme should be organised for high impact to settlers’ wellbeing. Do not delay.
– Retrain or reassign project mangers to acquire skills to match the demand of the new objectives. Officers who cannot match the reformation tasks should be asked to leave.
– The poor performing managers should be replaced or those with potential can be retrained.
– Felda should take advantage of its position as a high volume producer of CPO and latex to quickly enter into the processing of the produce into high-tech high value products of high demand in collaboration with foreign parties who have advanced technology and the market for oil and rubber-based product at this juncture before competitors seize the opportunities.
– Felda should reclaim its position as much as possible from FGV to put into effect the desired institutional reform with ease.
– Felda should not over imagine the problems in the way of achieving the two proposed objectives. I will be happy to be of service to Felda in the name of socio-economic development. It pains me to see the Felda settlers as pockets of depressed Malay settlements. Much can be done immediately.
Rahim Zain
National Development Strategist
