THE DEMOLITION BEGINS

Today we went in and bulldozed oil palm trees illegally planted on our Livestock reserve meant for Permanent Food Production Area (Poultry).

I was advised by my wise officers not to show up at the site. I was glad that I did so.

The operation went on smoothly at first. This was confirmed when an officer called me and reported that operation was ok.

Just minutes after the call, another officer called telling that there was chaos on the site. Then the perpetrators (the illegal planters) came causing much hurrahs.

The lonely two police officers present were just not enough to calm things down. We then decided, for personnel safety reasons, to cease operation and continue on another day when things are in our favour - I mean when there are more police officers (this time PGA perhaps) around.

The last time the three called on me in office after receiving my letter that said no to their application. After reiterating the no answer, one of them even threatened to go and see the highest authority to make sure they will remain in the area.

I don't want to rock the boat when I have just got another few months to go. I want to leave calmly, with full of good memories.

I did it because it has been decided so by the authority. The place is going to be developed into a modern well-planned poultry production area.

Our intention is that it will become a disease free compartment, where poultry could be sent to the Halal Food Park to be further processed into halal food for export.

Poultry industry in the West coast is already saturated. There is not much more suitable land for rearing poultry. There is very stiff competition between human dwellings and livestock farms.

Whereas here we still have ample land for that. It is my sincere hope that all the four TKPA's will soon become top poultry producers in the very near future.