Hidden agenda behind dispute?
Published on: Wednesday, November 26, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: Industry sources allege that the current fishing landing charges dispute is an attempt by some members of the Kota Kinabalu Boats' Owners Association (KKBOA) to discredit the agency tasked by Safma so that it can control the fishing industry.They said it is no secret that the majority – believed up to 90 per cent – of the vessel owners are Chinese entrepreneurs from peninsula and Sarawak who turned to Sabah because of the State's reputation for seafood and the somewhat poor implementation of the laws.They said the peninsula ones, in particular, found it difficult to operate there due to the strict monitoring by LKIM and having found the conditions in Sabah ideal, now want to exert total control i.e. from the landing of fish at the Safma jetty right up to the fish monger level.ADVERTISEMENT They claim this would mean the surrender of State's fishing operations to "outsiders". However, to do so, they would first have to discredit the concessionaire, Sejahtera Bumimas, a suspicion which the firm also harbours because of the reluctance of many of the KKBOA members to pay the fees per landing which only amount to RM70 to RM120. This is in contrast to the RM1,000 that the wholesalers are charged for rental of space at the jetty and RM600 which the fishmongers have to pay on their part."They (boat owners) only have to pay RM70-RM120 per landing of fish at the jetty following the privatisation but are the most vocal, thus giving the false impression that they are the most affected," said the sources.They said it was the reluctance by most of these vessel owners to also pay Safma these fees that forced Safma to privatise this aspect of the operations and now they continue to refuse to pay even after the privatisation.ADVERTISEMENT It was learnt that the association had made it clear they would not abide by the fees imposed by the firm unless they were involved in fixing the fee rates, or efforts to de-privatise the jetty operations were made. Newly appointed security manager for Sejahtera Bumimas, Billy Koh, said the association had openly expressed interest in taking over the jetty.
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"We are not sure why they are doing this, but it could be plot to remove Sejahtera Bumimas and run the jetty for themselves," he said. Sejahtera Bumimas has been given the lease from Sabah Fisheries Marketing Authority (Safma) and since December 2013, not one fisherman had agreed to pay up their fees. Despite claims that Safma rates were much lower than Sejahtera, it is understood many of these fishermen had been defaulting on the fees. On Nov. 20, the fishermen launched the strike after a six-month row over fees after Sejahtera Bumimas revised their rate several times. It is understood that while the majority of the fishermen are from the peninsula and Sarawak, the vendors and wholesalers comprise foreign migrants. Koh believed the fishermen waited for the right time to launch the strike during the off-peak season as catches are low as now. Sejahtera Bumimas currently charge RM4 for each fish basket, while monthly charges for boats and vessels are around RM300 to RM2,000 for parking, while around RM70 to RM120 per landing. Other items to run their operation include, ice blocks and wholesale fees are raised by the firm, claimed the fishermen, adding that they need to fork out up to RM2,000 a month for the purpose. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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An earlier Daily Express report revealed that 60 per cent of the day's catch go to local industry, while the rest are distributed to about 100 stall operators at the nearby wet market.CAPTION: The scene at the KK fish market yesterday.