ALOR GAJAH: Better welfare, safer boat access and more stable incomes are top concerns for fishermen in Kuala Linggi as they look to the next elected representative to address their needs.
West Melaka Area Fishermen’s Association chairman Mazli Abd Ghani said the fishing community needed more financial assistance, as well as a project to deepen the Sungai Kuala Linggi estuary to facilitate fishing activities.
“We also hope that the successful candidate will take up these issues and seek appropriate solutions,” he said.
According to Mazli, who has been a fisherman for more than 25 years, catches had been declining year after year, while changing water conditions had also affected fishing activities.
Fisherman Saad Johan said increasingly shallow waters in the area had affected the movement of fishing boats, particularly during low tide, making it difficult for them to navigate in and out of the sea.
“We hope authorities will provide additional jetties or buoys to facilitate the movement of boats,” he said.
Another fisherman, Azmi Buyaman, said local fishermen’s incomes had become increasingly uncertain, with earnings declining by almost half and affecting their livelihoods.
Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan candidates for the Kuala Linggi seat have pledged to look into concerns raised by the fishing community in the constituency.
Barisan candidate Datuk Rosli Abdullah said growing up among them, he understood the challenges faced by the fishermen.
“I have had the experience of going to sea to help my uncle catch fish, and at times, coming back with a meagre haul,” he said.
He urged fishermen to sign up with registered associations so that aid could be channelled to them.
Pakatan Harapan candidate Muhammad Mukhlisul Mubin Julasapiyah said fishermen’s concerns were among issues he was focusing on, alongside floods, employment opportunities and Internet connectivity.
He said all candidates contesting in the constituency should champion these issues to ensure they receive due attention and appropriate action at the higher level.
