CM: Barter trading to resume January
Published on: Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The decades-old barter trade activity with neighbouring countries that was banned two years ago will be revived in January.Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the State Government will allow the barter trade between Sabah and Philippines as well as Indonesia to resume Jan 1, if no problem persists. He said the barter trade system, which had been demanded by the traders, would be carried out in Kudat, Sandakan, Tawau and possibly Lahad Datu that have existing ports and jetties."These four districts have been identified as the bases for barter trading between Sabah and the Philippines and Indonesia. I am confident this will provide ample business opportunities to our local traders apart from providing job opportunities for the locals," Shafie said.
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He said this after chairing a State Security Council meeting attended by new State Secretary Datuk Hashim Paijan, new State Commissioner of Police Datuk Omar Mammah and new State Security Council Director Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yusof.According to Shafie, the State Security Council decided to provide a new approach of enhancing and upgrading Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure smooth operation of the barter trade.Among the SOP to be enhanced included updating the boats used in the barter trade, types of goods that can be traded and to identify certain areas when unexpected and untoward incidents happen that enable them to find out the owners and how to better address the situation. To a question, he said some items subsidised by the government would not be allowed to be traded such as gas cylinders.
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Shafie also assured that the security level and surveillance in those districts involved in the barter trading would be beefed up and increase the operations.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Photo Source: Bernama
