Fish decision benefits the majority: Yahya

Putatan: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin (pic) said he does not need to consult everyone on the banning of seafood exports. "The Ministry is making the policy right? Do I have to consult everybody? I cannot do my job if I have to consult everybody.

"I have to make the decision … I am the Minister," he said after launching the 2016 Chinese New Year celebration of the Tiong Hwa Putatan Welfare Association and Tai Pak Kung Putatan at One Place Mall, here, Thursday.

Yahya, who is also State Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, was responding to fresh seafood industry players stating that they were not referred to on the ban.

"I received a lot of positive and very encouraging reports and responses from various quarters … of course there are some dissenting sounds and objections. But if it satisfied the majority, especially the fishermen, I don't think they have to complain," he said, adding that the fishermen who catch fish comprise the majority.

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"We are talking about fishermen and their livelihood so this is the thing that we need to look into," he said.

Yahya also said he will discuss and bring this issue forward to the State Cabinet. His ministry will look at the development of the policy.

Yahya, meanwhile, did not wish to comment on the suggestion from Sabah Restaurant Fellowship Association President Lim Vun Chan to create a quota system on seafood supplies.

"I don't want to comment. We do not have enough fresh seafood supplies and if you observe, our fresh seafood is expensive. If we ban the export of fresh seafood, it will attract more tourists to Sabah. This is a serious matter and we need to make sure that the public can enjoy the best quality fresh seafood," he said.

Earlier this month, Yahya made the announcement that all fresh seafood from Sabah can no longer be exported, including to Sarawak and the peninsula.

Meanwhile, Yahya urged all shopkeepers around Putatan district to practise a cleanliness culture for the betterment and progress of the district.

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"We need to work together and respect one another to ensure Putatan becomes a developed district.

All of us must take care of our district's safety, cleanliness and harmony especially now when we have a lot of tourists not just domestic but also international tourists from China staying in several hotels around town," he said.

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