In the quiet town of Chemor, ethnic Chinese farmers have been producing vegetables for nearly a century, dating back to British colonial rule.
Most of them are small-scale farmers, each working on several acres of land to produce modest amounts of vegetables. But together, the over 200 farmers say their combined daily output is up to 60 tonnes of vegetables, which distributors then transport to nearby markets for sale.
Tan Tean Chee, president of the Chemor Modern Farmers’ Association, is arguably the farmers’ biggest champion, regularly speaking to the media to highlight their contributions to Malaysia’s food security.
But for close to 20 years now, the Chemor farmers have been facing an existential threat. When Malaysia gained independence, the state government rejected almost all their applications to lease or buy the land.
Despite this uncertainty, the farmers continued farming through the generations. Many of them did not have the means to move into other careers or businesses, while some simply did not want to lose their family’s connection to the farmlands.
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Now, the state government has given those very lands to a government-linked company, which plans to evict the farmers, flatten the farms and build a sprawling industrial park.
This has forced Tan into the role of an activist, where he regularly organises the farmer community to physically disrupt these destructive evictions. “These farms were passed on to us from our forefathers,” he said during a speech at a town hall in Chemor. “We cannot give up so easily.”
It has been years now since Tan started his work organising the farmers’ resistance. He has seen multiple farms permanently destroyed, along with the livelihoods of the farmers. He has been arrested, and brought to to court multiple times. He has been called “unpatriotic”.
But Tan continues to press on, hoping the state government will some day recognise the contributions of the Chemor farmers, and allow them to continue their proud work.
The Last Harvest – Produced by: @TheFourth in collaboration with Undi 18 and with support from Bertha Foundation
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
