IPOH: A total of 14,280 residential squatters have been identified in Perak, with more than half of them having been given title rights.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said of the total, 7,493 squatters have been granted title rights.
The remaining 6,787 squatters, he added, have been given temporary occupancy licences (TOL) because the land is located on government reserve areas such as road and river reserves, where permanent title rights cannot be granted.
“Through the Zero Squatting Programme, there have been renewals for TOL.
“Most recently starting this year, the authorities have implemented the lease initiative on government reserve land.
“This allows squatters on reserve land to apply for a reserve lease for a period between 10 and 20 years by complying with the conditions and processes specified in the reserve lease agreement,” he said in his winding-up speech at the state assembly yesterday.
Saarani said in regard to the proposal to increase the float value of the District Disaster Fund, the state government has agreed to double the value to RM100,000, from RM50,000 previously.
“It is hoped that this move will help expedite the provision of aid to victims, especially in districts that are often affected by disasters,” he added.
On the proposal to change the name of the state’s “Program Tuisyen Cikgu Saarani” due to concerns of it being a political move, Saarani said the name was not his idea but a suggestion from the administration of the Mentri Besar’s Office.
“However, after this matter was raised, I have obtained the opinion of the state legal adviser, who found that the name does not violate the law for it is merely a terminology.
“However, I would like to clarify that the programme is not a political tool, and the various events organised under this initiative are for the educational excellence and development of our children,” he added.
Launched in February 2021, the initiative is aimed at helping schoolchildren, particularly the underprivileged, in their studies.
Included in the programme are free meals, extra tuition classes and intensive courses to prepare for examinations.
The Mentri Besar also announced a two-month management allowance bonus for all 59 state assemblymen’s service centres, with a one-off payment of RM14,000 each.
Earlier, the state’s Budget 2025 was approved by the assembly with 58 of the 59 assemblymen present during the sitting voting in favour of it.
Opposition leader Razman Zakaria was not present as he has been hospitalised.
On Nov 29, the Perak government tabled a RM1.52bil budget for next year, the highest in the state’s history.
Also at the end of the sitting, Ipoh Barat Umno division chairman Datuk Shamsuddin Abd Ghaffar was re-elected as a senator at Dewan Negara.
Shamsuddin, 75, has been appointed as senator since 2022.
The opposition had also forwarded a candidate, Perak PAS treasurer Ismail Arifin.
Shamsuddin obtained 33 votes, while Ismail garnered 25 votes.
