style="text-transform: uppercase;">Pahang: Farmers are paying up to RM50,000 in "coffee money" in order to expand their vegetable plots by up to four to five times under their Temporary Occupation Licences (TOLS), it was revealed.A source, who claims knowledge of the situation, said corruption was widespread with farmers and businessmen splurging money to get that "extra piece of land".

"This has been going on not for a couple of years but for nearly 20 years. "But nobody cares because politicians, civil servants, farmers and other private businesses are working hand-in-glove to make money.

"Even when complaints are made on illegal openings of land or encroachments into forests by farmers, the authorities pay lip service and merely giver offenders a slap on the wrist with Rm500 compounds." The source said farmers were ready to pay as much as RM50,000 to be able to open more land for farming using their TOLs.

"Farmers who are prepared to spend a lot of money will have their applications for new farming land approved within three months.

"Although TOLs were no longer issued after 2002, farmers and land office staff found loopholes in the system.

"In fact, the ground work is done so well that the district officer cannot detect the illegal transactions."

Due to the complicated process involved, a "fee" of between Rm20,000 and RM50,000 is charged.

The process begins with the farmer approaching a land office employee who is on the take. The paperwork then begins with the farmer's original farm land "cancelled" to show the farmer is no longer be using the said area for farming.

A new parcel of land, already identified by the farmer, is applied for with the land office employee doing the "necessary documentation" to make the transaction look legitimate.

Once the paperwork is completed, it is submitted to the district officer for approval.

"Once the approval for change in TOL location is obtained, the farmer starts clearing the new land while still toiling the old one while on paper has been cancelled.

"This is how the rich and well-connected farmers get to expand their land from two acres (0.8ha) to sometimes 10 acres (4ha)."

"People may ask why the district officer is unable to detect the discrepancy in the application? It is difficult because everything is done so well that the question of discrepancy does not arise," said the source.

Some of the well-connected allegedly reaped bigger gains as they would get to open between 12ha and 20ha of farms because or their connections with people with high authority.

This came to light after last year's mudflood tragedy that caused untold damage and loss of lives. It was then that the federal government became aware of the extent of widespread illegal farming and subsequently ordered a high-level operation and demolish them, giving the task to the National Security Council.

Large-scale opening of land for farming activities through questionable process had taken place deep in the forested areas as well as state land in Blue Valley, Ulu Tringkap, Kampung Tresu and Ulu Merah.

The source said rampant corruption at the highlands had given birth to the expression "due ekar cari makan, lapan ekar curi makan" - meaning the farmer uses the original two-acre (0.8ha) TOL to expand the farm illegally.

A senior investigating officer from the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed farmers and some land office staff had carried out unlawful transactions. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officer was part of an MACC team since 2012 to investigate corrupt practices at the highlands.

MACC had identified the practice of offering bribes to land office staff to facilitate expansion of farms.

"The MACC team began its research and investigation at the highlands in 2012 and although the practice was not as rampant as encroachment into forest reserves and state forested land, the fact is that illegal expansion flourished unabated with the alleged involvement of land office staff."

According to the MACC source, the one year investigation revealed the extent of illegal occupancy, corruption, presence if illegal foreign workers and various weaknesses in the land office and the district council. "The situation at the highlands is like a patient with end-stage cancer. It is serious and it will take the MACC and other departments and agencies involved years to reverse the effects.

"People are hoping for fast action but it is not easy to carry out an instantaneous model of action. At this point, various agencies are working at collecting data with the help of remote sensing.

"Improving the condition and environment of Cameron Highlands is a work in progress. We are only now beginning to see the vastness of the destruction," said the MACC source, who added that better enforcement could be expected once the anti-corruption authority set up its office at the highlands later this month.