Tan (seated third left) and Wong, on his left,with others at the press conference in SUPP Dudong office.
SIBU (Feb 26): The Sarawak Fishing Vessel Association calls upon the federal government to review its decision of reducing the diesel subsidy for fishermen.
Association chairman Harry Tan said the subsidy cut would have a significant impact on the livelihood of the fishing community.
It is understood that the federal government has reduced the subsidy for up to 3,000 litres of diesel per fishing vessel, taking effect in January this year without any prior notification.
“Diesel expenses make up a large part of the fishing boat’s operating costs.
“Therefore, reducing the subsidy means that the monthly operating costs will increase, directly impacting the fishermen’s livelihood.
“The catch is uncertain in every fishing trip; sometimes, it may not even cover the fuel expenses,” he said at a press conference held in Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong branch office here yesterday.
Tan also said vessel owners also had many other costs to cover such as those for repairing nets, repairs and maintenance of machines and other equipment, as well as pay and wages for the workers.
Adding on, he said they had no control over the fluctuating selling prices of fish and fish products, stressing that these were determined by ‘demand and supply’ in the market.
“If the selling price of a fish goes up, please do not blame us fishermen,” he appealed.
Tan also believed that the federal government should communicate with the fishermen’s organisations and understand their needs, especially those related to fuel consumption, before making any adjustments to the subsidy.
He also requested for a dialogue to be held with the federal Fisheries Development Board, or the ministry overseeing agriculture.
Apart from diesel subsidy, another area that warranted attention would be licence transfers, said Tan.
According to him, any transfer of names would not allow the fishing licence-holder to operate in the same area.
“For instance, C7 licensees who were originally allowed to operate within seven miles offshore, their licences would be converted into C12 once the names have been transferred, and the C10 licensees must be changed to the status of C30.
“The enforced changes in the licence transfer make it impossible for fishing boats to operate further offshore, and this can raise safety issues.
“If the fishermen are forced to upgrade their boats, it would incur significant expenses that not all of them can afford, causing some fishing boats to have no successors.
“The association hopes that the federal fisheries board could revoke these conditions for licence transfers and allow the new vessel owners to use the original licences,” he said.
On the man-made reef balls distributed across the Sarawak waters, Tan requested the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) to communicate with the fishermen’s organisations so as to provide them with a specialised map to facilitate navigation over areas where the reef balls were placed.
He said many unfortunate circumstances could occur due to the fishermen having no knowledge of the location of these reef balls, such as them accidentally hauling up the reef balls, or the reef balls damaging their nets, or their boats capsizing.
On another subject, Tan expressed hope for the Sarawak River Board (SRB) to impose lower rent on the Hock Ang Road fishing boat wharf’s lease.
He argued that with lower rent, the association could apply for electricity and water supply to be connected to the facility, and also to house their boats that were being repaired.
“I hope the government, especially the federal authorities in charge of fisheries affairs, will understand the plight of the fishermen and provide them with assistance – or at the very least, meet the fishermen and listen to their voices before introducing new measures,” said Tan.
Meanwhile, SUPP Dudong chairman Wong Ching Yong also expressed hope that Sibu MP Oscar Ling and Lanang MP Alice Lau would look into these issues, which fall under the federal government’s purview.
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