A caretaker Menteri Besar should not have to ask for permission to meet settlers in his own state.

 The incident at Felda Ulu Belitong is not about personalities. It is about whether elected leaders can carry out basic duties during a caretaker period without political barricades.

The Johor State Felda Settlers’ Day 2026 was meant for Felda Ulu Belitong in Kluang. It was relocated to Dewan Dato’ Onn after Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi was not allowed to enter the settlement. Onn said it was the first time in his life in Johor that a Menteri Besar had been barred from a Felda area while trying to hand over land titles to settlers. 

Felda Belongs to the Rakyat, Not to Parties 

The principle is clear. Felda settlements are rakyat communities, not party property. Onn has said that Felda areas do not belong to any individual or political party and that they are rakyat settlements that need attention and proper defence. 

During a caretaker period, the convention is clear too: no new policy, but service to the people must continue. 

Handing over land titles and listening to settlers is administrative, not partisan. When a caretaker head of government is kept out of such an area, it tells settlers that even basic access is conditional. That is a poor precedent.

Apply One Standard to Both Sides

 There must be consistency. Pakatan Harapan (PH) itself objected when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s engagement in Sungai Balang, Muar, was moved after organisers were told at the last minute that a state facility could not be used. 

PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim then asked why the Prime Minister was not even allowed to use a state government facility when he had come to meet fishermen, farmers, small traders, educators and youths. 

If a cancelled hall in Muar is unacceptable, then barring a caretaker Menteri Besar from Felda is equally unacceptable. There cannot be one rule for Putrajaya and another for Johor Bahru. 

The same standard of openness should apply whether it is the Prime Minister in a state facility or the caretaker Menteri Besar in a Felda settlement.

Anwar has said there was no instruction to block Onn and that the state government carries out state matters. If that is correct, then the practice on the ground must be corrected so that no future event is blocked by unofficial barricades.

Development Demands Access 

Access is not symbolic. It is practical. Johor has received RM39.1 billion in federal development funds since 2022, placing it among the top recipient states after Sabah and Sarawak. With that scale of investment, both federal and state leaders need to be on the ground to explain existing programmes, receive feedback, and resolve issues. 

You cannot deliver “Maju Johor 2030” from a distance. Settlers need to see their caretaker Menteri Besar collecting land title issues first-hand. Farmers need to speak directly to the state leadership about roads, irrigation and market access. 

When leaders are blocked, problems are delayed and trust is eroded. Onn has stressed that Johor has never been too arrogant to cooperate and never too proud to accept views or assistance. In a caretaker period, service to the rakyat should not stop at the gate. 

The caretaker Menteri Besar should be allowed to carry out his basic duties.

Editor's Note:  R. Muralitharan is a correspondent for AlaiOli and a veteran journalist. The views expressed are his own