KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) has identified a total 8,000 fishermen nationwide who will not be eligible to receive the living allowance (Elaun Sara Hidup) provided by the government.
LKIM chairman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil said these fishermen, who were mostly part-timers or who do not fulfil the requirement of going to sea for 120 days a year, were not eligible for the allowance.
He said the ESH was only given to traditional fishermen who frequently went out to sea.
“More than 40,000 fishermen nationwide have registered for the living allowance.
“Out of the 40,000, we have identified a total of 8,000 fishermen who are not eligible for the allowance. Some of them are still under the weeding-out process and some have been taken out from the allowance list.
“The reason why we did this is we want to give the allowance to those who take fishing seriously as well as help the traditional fishermen,” he said at the 2018 Fishermen Association Conference closing ceremony here today.
He said fishermen (who were in the weed-out list), who wanted to receive the allowance could appeal to LKIM with a reasonable excuse.
Muhammad Faiz also said they would look into the reasons to ensure that the allowance was only given to those who frequently went out to sea.
He said LKIM will meet and discuss with the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Sallahuddin Ayub soon to find ways as well as new methods and structure to resolve problems in the fisheries sector.
“We need to find better ways and new structures to increase production and improve the fishing industry, thus enhancing the nation’s socio-economy and development,” he said.
More than 200 chairmen and managers of the fishermen associations nationwide gathered at the four-day conference which began on Nov 2.