Fishermen want State Govt to intervene
Published on: Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Some 20,000 fishermen from 15 fishermen associations in Sabah have called for the State Government's intervention to ensure the current Director of Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) Sabah, Jamil Abdullah, is retained.They demanded Jamil who is a local from Kota Marudu not to be transferred to Melaka to hold the same post when he is better off retained as the LKIM Sabah Director to continue serving the fishermen in Sabah.They also objected to him being replaced by someone from the peninsula as it is not the solution to the matter.
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Previously, Jamil was to be demoted as a Deputy Director to pave the way for a person from the peninsula to be the new Director of LKIM Sabah.Its spokesperson Abu Bakar Jamil said all the fishermen had unanimously taken a firm stand that they want Jamil to continue serving in Sabah.He said they do not understand why Jamil was not given a fair chance to continue heading LKIM Sabah when he received the official appointment letter on Nov. 16, 2013, barely over a year.Abu Bakar said most of the 20,000 fishermen in Sabah are Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters who believe in the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
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"We are counting on the State Government to intervene in this matter and we are appealing to Musa to seriously look into our request to retain Jamil."This is important as it concerns the interests and needs of the fishermen in Sabah and in line with the 'Borneonisation' policy that is part of the 20-Points.
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"I remember Najib's statement during the GE13 campaign in Sabah where he promised to give priority to qualified Sabah people to hold top posts in government agencies and departments at Federal level in Sabah."So now, we hope to see that such promise being honoured by the ruling Federal Government," Abu Bakar said."Jamil is a Sabahan who really understands our problems, local customs and what we need to elevate our living standard."We really hope the authorities would seriously look into our stand on this matter and make the right decision," he said.Speaking to Daily Express on Monday, Abu Bakar who is also Papar Fishermen Association Chairman said transferring Jamil to LKIM Melaka or any agency in the peninsula is akin to mistreating the fishermen in Sabah.He said members of the 15 fishermen associations were surprised why Jamil was chosen to go to LKIM Melaka to hold the same post when it would be better for the agency to send someone from within the peninsula to be the director there.He said they are questioning the main purpose of LKIM headquarters to send a senior officer from the peninsula to be the LKIM Sabah director, which may have a hidden agenda."We are not anti-peninsula … but we strongly believe that he should be given the chance to hold the post longer in Sabah like the previous director, Jamaluddin Othman from peninsula, who held the post for over five years.Abu Bakar said Jamil has proven his leadership and contribution by regularly going down to the ground and proactively looking into the plight of the fishermen.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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