Fishermen air their woes to Tengku Zafrul, plead for help
Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz with the villagers in Sungai Semilang, Jeram, Kuala Selangor.
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KUALA SELANGOR - For a vocation where earnings are ultimately dependent on fair winds and calm seas, monsoon hits differently for fishermen in the Sungai Sembilang village here.
Stormy waters and billowing gusts forced them to take a hiatus from fishing and while they may have other side hustles, a loss is still a loss.
Ten years on the job, local fisherman Arif Shah, hoped for some sort of income security to t cushion his monsoon woes.
“It is a big problem for us,” he told Sinar Daily when met at the village jetty yesterday.
“If there is any aid specifically for the monsoon season, we will accept it whole-heartedly," Arif added.
Yesterday was not a typical day for the locals there as the fishing village played host to caretaker Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
Naturally, they did not waste any time to air their grievances directly to him during an evening heart-to-heart session there.
The chairman of the village women’s association, Datin Salasiah Hasbullah aptly detailed their problems.
“Fishermen spend a lot of money. They regularly need to buy nets and fuel.
“These are assets needed to make profits and buying them on a regular basis, offsets their earnings,” she added.
Hence, Salasiah deemed it necessary for the government to give fishermen more subsidies to improve their livelihoods.
Concerns on unattended requests for aid were also raised at yesterday’s event.
A fisherman who wanted to be known only as Abdullah, highlighted the need for related authorities and agencies to attend to the fishermen’s requests.
“Whenever we raise complaints, they give all kinds of excuses such as not enough fuel supply ,lack of assets and manpower. .
"We don't complain everyday, we only do it when we have problems that we are unable to solve on our own,” he reasoned.
