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Prices of rubber and oil palm can sway votes

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KUALA LIPIS: Apart from the vote of the Orang Asli community, another factor that can determine victory for candidates in the Cameron Higlands by-election is the issue of the price of oil palm and rubber.

Why this is so is because the two commodities are the source of income for those living at Felda Koyan 1,2 and  3 and also at Kuala Medang.

The price of oil palm has always been the main topic of discussion among the settlers who often raised it with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and  Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders coming to campaign for their candidates.

As such, the right answer, one that is desired by residents in the Felda land schemes, comprising about 3,800 voters, could change the political landscape of the parliamentary constituency, considered a BN stronghold since the past 61 years.

Felda Koyan 3 village head Ismail Ali said the price of the commodities dropped almost 50 percent since nine months ago and this affected the livelihood of the settlers.

Prior to that, the price of oil palm could reach up to RM600 per metric tonne, but now it has dropped to RM250 per metric tonne, he added.

“We want something to be done because here, the residents depend on oil palm for their livelihood,” he added.

A settler at Felda Koyan 1, Yusof Mat Diah, 72, said his income has dropped to less than RM1,000 a month, from RM2,000 a month prior to the drop in the  price of the commodity.

“This is the time for the government to show that it cares for us, the least is to give us hope when they meet us that they will resolve the matter,” he added.

The drop in the price of rubber affected residents of Kuala Medang and one of them, Azura Abdul Wahab, 42, said the price of rubber now is RM2.20 per kg, from RM2.50 per kg previously.

“True, we receive monsoon season aid of RM600, but it is only once a year. What is important is to control the price of the commodity,” she said.

She said the people’s economy should be given serious attention as it affected their living cost. –Bernama

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