20 Years On Former Semenyih Estate Workers Fight For Housing Ends In Joy

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"My husband might no longer be with us today, but he would probably be so happy to see us so proud," said 70-year-old M Munihchy.
Munihchy was among 34 families of former Semenyih Estate workers who received the keys to their low-cost, two-storey terrace homes from Sime Darby in a ceremony yesterday.
After 21 years, the house keys she was initially promised were finally in her hands.
With tears of joy, Munihchy recalled the difficult moments when many Semenyih Estate workers in Selangor, including her husband, had received their employment termination notices in 2004.
More tragically, her husband had also passed away on the same day his employment contract was terminated.
Throughout the 21-year period, Munihchy endured various struggles, standing at the crossroads of grief, loss, and the pursuit of justice.
A ceremony to mark the handing over of house keys to former Semenyih plantation workers"I still remember, on March 21, 2004, when the 11th general election took place. BN won the election with a landslide victory, securing 198 seats, in contrast to the opposition's 20 seats.
"Then, a week later, the Semenyih Estate workers were given notices announcing their termination of employment. Termination notices were handed to more than 40 workers. But it was not the most shocking incident to happen on that day.
"My husband, Mathuraveeran, was the union secretary as well as the local temple chairperson. He suffered a heart attack and passed away on the same day he received the notice.
"Imagine how terrifying this notice was for all our families here," she recalled.
Fighting for a resolution
Also present at yesterday’s handover ceremony was PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan, who has fought alongside the plantation workers.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Arutchelvan shed further light on the background of the plantation workers’ plight. According to Arutchelvan, in 2008, Sime Darby had sold the Semenyih Estate to a third party, further complicating matters.
He explained that the estate workers, who had served the company for a long time, had continued watching new houses being built around them, as they could merely afford to dream of owning their own homes.
However, he highlighted that 17 families, including Munihchy’s, were determined to remain in their quarters, solely to continue fighting for their rights to own a home.
PSM deputy chairperson S ArutchelvanOver the past two decades, these families endured, despite continuous issues with water supply, air pollution, and various threats from the authorities.
Eventually, on Feb 28, 2017, they achieved a resolution – 13 years after they had initially received their employment termination notices.
Historic moment
Yesterday, the 17 families received their homes for free, while another 17 families had purchased theirs at a subsidised price of RM42,000.
"Congratulations and thank you to the Community Development Centre (CDC), the Estate Community Support Committee (JSML), and PSM for their continuous support and guidance, enduring the struggles of these former Semenyih Estate workers,” said Arutchelvan.
“This is a historic moment for the estate workers' struggles. These former Semenyih Estate workers should be proud today, because they have fought endlessly to achieve this victory.
"They won because they dared to fight. This story of their struggles at Semenyih Estate is just another example that illustrates how when one dares to fight, victory is not impossible," he added.
Another former plantation worker, Papathi, 72, had also recalled how she could not hold back her joy after receiving a call to collect the house keys.
She received the call only a day after the third anniversary of her husband's passing.
Former Semenyih plantation workers with the keys to their new home"I have been here for over 32 years. My husband, Chinnasamy, passed away three years ago. Yesterday marked exactly three years since he died.
"After holding his memorial ceremony, I received a call and was told that I would be receiving the house keys soon. This is a blessing from him," she beamed. - Mkini

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