Migration from Traditional Village to Group Settlement Area: AN Analysis of Felda Experience

At the time the country gained independence, most Malays were still living in traditional village and in poverty. In order to overcome this problem, the government had introduced a form of well-planned migration. This migration was established with specific goals such as offering land to people without one, eradicating poverty, eliminating communist’s hide-outs and boosting country’s economic growth. By allocating some amount of fund, the government cleared-up forest land and provided basic facilities such as houses, roads, worshipping places and schools. This well-planned migration was top-down, locating only qualified migrants through process of interview. In order for this migration to be successful, the government introduced the motto best land for the best people. The first settlement of this agricultural migration is in Lurah Bilut, Bentong Pahang. A total of 616 migrants of all races and religions, from all over the country were located in FELDA of Lurah Bilut. The programme was then expanded to the whole country following its success. After 50 years of operation, there are now 317 settlements, dwelt by 112,653 families. FELDA agricultural migration programme is the only well-planned and most successful in the world. Currently, in average, participants of settlement enjoy higher standard of living than before, whereas their children benefit from highest education standard.