Kelah with some of the mussels harvested by Orang Asli folk from Sungai Masai in Pasir Gudang.
ORANG Asli fishermen in Pasir Gudang, Johor, are concerned about talk that a mussel farm operated by some 40 families in Sungai Masai for more than 20 years may have to cease operations.
Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Masai Fishermen’s Association chairman Kelah Lah said they were not against development, but that any project which would disrupt the local community’s livelihood should not be considered.
“My concern right now is the mussel farm located right in front of our village at Sungai Masai.
“This has been our main source of income for more than 20 years, and now it is said that this mussel farm will be relocated to Tanjung Langsat.
“We have about 40 families in this village who depend entirely on the produce of these mussels, which are harvested using small boats.
“If they move the farm to Tanjung Langsat, what will happen to this village? How are we going to survive and continue living here?” he asked.
Kelah hopes that whoever gets elected as Pasir Gudang MP will address the matter with the relevant authorities.
All the mussels grown at the farm are sent to Muar, Melaka, and Kuala Lumpur every day.
Vimala says it is about time MPs look at removing the quota system so that deserving students get the chance to pursue tertiary studies.
Johor is the number one producer of mussels and clams in the country.
Kuala Masai alone produces around 190 tonnes of mussels a year.
Meanwhile, textile shop owner I. Vimala said the Mersing MP must seek to liberalise education policies, including doing away with the quota system for public higher education institutions.
“There are many bright minds from the Indian community but because of the quota system, they are not able to further their studies,” she said.
Pasir Gudang has certainly come a long way from its fishing village days.
It has matured into a port city and industrial area which is one of the drivers of Johor’s economy.
It is now also a city, having attained the status on Dec 9 last year, the third in the state after Johor Baru and Iskandar Puteri.
Despite its city status, it still has 35 traditional villages, housing more than 200,000 people.
Some of its more famous villages are Kampung Pasir Putih and Kampung Kong Kong Laut, where the city’s locals usually go to on weekends to enjoy some of the fresh seafood caught by local fishermen.
According to Kampung Baru Masai village chief Chua Ching Hao, the current development in Pasir Gudang was initiated in 2008 by the Barisan Nasional-led government.
“The busiest time for the city was when it was under the leadership of former Johor mentri besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin.
Chua says Pasir Gudang needs high-paying jobs as most of the skilled locals presently work in Singapore.
“Some of the developments during his time include the setting up of Foon Yew High School in Seri Alam; introducing Bandar Seri Alam as the City of Knowledge; and the construction of Pasir Gudang Hospital,” he said.
Chua, however, said what Pasir Gudang needed right now was high-paying jobs as the majority of the skilled local workers were working in Singapore currently.
“About two-thirds of my friends are working across the Causeway, and this is actually a huge loss in terms of local talent,” he added.
During the 14th General Election (GE14), Khaled, who is Johor Barisan chairman, lost in a four-cornered fight against Hassan Abdul Karim of PKR, who won with a 24,726 vote majority.
For GE15, Hassan will be defending the seat in a four-cornered fight with Barisan’s Noor Azleen Ambros (Umno), Perikatan Nasional’s Mohamad Farid Abdul Razak (Bersatu) and Gerakan Tanah Air’s Mohammad Rafi Beran (IMAN).
