Malaysian Government Assistance Rescues Impoverished Fishermen Community

By Nashir Mansor TAWAU (Sabah,Malaysia), Sept 12 (Bernama) -- When quizzed about his life as a Sabah fisherman at present, compared with a few decades ago, Nanang Bagiing stated, "As Malaysians, what else do we want? The current government has extended us enough assistance. Everything is subsidised". Nanang, 68, who is a resident of Titingan Village, pointed out that in the past fishermen faced a lot of hardship and also lacked proper fishing equipment. However, this state of affairs has undergone a drastic change with the present government being very attentive towards the issues and difficulties spelt out by the fishermen community. The government has also allocated sizable funds for subsidising gasoline, offered numerous allowances, incentives, facilities and fishing equipment for the community. GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE "I am one of the recipients of the 1Malaysia People’s Assistance Programme (BR1M), under which I receive RM200 (US$65.18) a month as living allowance. The government also provides funds for repairing my dilapidated house under the house refurbishment programme started for fishermen," Nanang stated. "I am grateful to the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak for being concerned with the plight of people like me," Nanang, who has been a fisherman since the 1970s, told Bernama. When he started fishing to earn a living, no gasoline subsidies were provided. Nanang and the other fishermen had to fork out their own money for buying the much needed gasoline, which would enable them to go out to sea and earn a living. At the time, there was an abundance of fish in Teluk Cowie, but over the years the fish population has dwindled, which has hurt the local fishermen’s business as they grapple to make ends meet, even as the cost of living keeps rising. LIVING ALLOWANCE "The assistance that we get from the government in the form of the cost of living allowance under the BR1M scheme, the subsidised gasoline and the funds under the house renovation programme are always handed out in a timely fashion. This assistance helps alleviate the burden borne by people belonging to low-income groups like me," Nanang said. Talsan Kolah, 64, who has been a fisherman for more than 30 years, agreed with Nanang. The father of eight said that he has also gained from the house renovation programme. "My house now has electricity, which allows my family to watch television and listen to the radio," he stated. Talsan is also waiting for the government to provide him with new fishing gear and a boat because the one he is using currently limits his catch. "Our government is always adopting measures that help people," he said, but urged the concerned authorities to smoothen the assistance process for target groups. Commenting on the subsidised gasoline scheme, Talsan noted that he is grateful to the government for this help as it has taken a big load off his shoulders and that of other fisherman, who have profited from this scheme. -- BERNAMA