The Prime Minister rejects claims he halted the Johor Felda event and says no federal directive prevented state programmes in Felda settlements.
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied issuing any directive to cancel the Johor Felda Settlers’ Day programme in Kluang, stressing that the only restriction during an election period is the use of government machinery for campaigning.
He said Felda-related programmes, including events involving settlers and the presentation of land titles, are allowed as long as they are not used for election campaigning through government or Felda machinery.
“I did not issue any instruction.
“The instruction is that government machinery must not be used during an election campaign. That is an instruction for all of us.
“So, in the case of Felda Settlers’ Day, it is not prohibited. If the state government wants to give land grants, that is its matter,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Anwar was responding to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut), who asked whether the programme had been cancelled just days before it was scheduled to take place.
The issue arose following reports that the Johor Felda Settlers’ Day 2026 celebration, scheduled for June 20 and 21 at Felda Ulu Belitong, Kluang, had been cancelled.
The event was expected to attract more than 5,000 settlers from 73 Felda schemes across Johor, with one of its key highlights being the presentation of land titles to 210 settlers.
Hamzah said settlers had been looking forward to the programme and questioned whether political considerations had led to its cancellation.
He added that the matter had been widely discussed on social media and asked why the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister had not reached an agreement to allow the event to proceed.
Anwar said claims that the programme had been cancelled should first be verified, including who had ordered the cancellation and under what circumstances.
“At the start, he said it was cancelled. Who cancelled it? Where was it cancelled?
“There is no such instruction, and it was not raised by the Deputy Prime Minister with me. The only person raising it is Larut. On whose behalf, I do not know,” he said.
Hamzah replied that he was raising the matter on behalf of Felda settlers.
Anwar said any decision to cancel a state-level programme rested with the state government, adding that there had never been any federal directive preventing a Menteri Besar or state leader from holding programmes in Felda areas.
“There is absolutely no restriction on a Menteri Besar entering a Felda area to hold his own programme. There is none,” he said.
The Prime Minister also defended his administration’s record on Felda, saying the government had taken significant steps to improve the welfare of settlers.
He said RM1 billion in compensation had been paid to Felda settlers to address longstanding issues while efforts continued to restore the agency following what he described as years of poor management.
He added that the government had expanded development in Felda settlements through the provision of dialysis centres, support for schools and other public facilities.
“Previously, this was not done because Felda areas were closed off and left out from rural development projects.
“So I and the First Deputy Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) decided to provide facilities that are far better than before,” he said.
The land title presentation later proceeded separately, with 210 settlers from Kluang, Kota Tinggi and Mersing receiving their titles during a state-level ceremony.
