• Mohammod Johari said since 2008, the government had given out a total of 356.68 million in the aids, with RM51.9 million in 2008, RM11.3 million in 2009, RM11.6 million in 2010 and RM75 million this year.

He expected the government would continue giving more next year of up to a whopping RM170 million.

Mohammod Johari, who is also Kubang Pasu MP, said this in his verbal reply to the two questions that Tiong asked in the current parliamentary sitting.

The two questions were: Whether the government would consider continuing giving the special subsidy and how much the government had spent on it.

Mohammod Johari said since 2008, the government had given out a total of 356.68 million in the aids, with RM51.9 million in 2008, RM11.3 million in 2009, RM11.6 million in 2010 and RM75 million this year.

He expected the government would continue giving more next year of up to a whopping RM170 million.

Tiong, who is also the chairman of BN Backbenchers’ Club and the Justice of Peace Commissioner, hoped the increasing amount would be wisely spent on the deserving fishermen.

He said there had been worries because some fishermen had abused the aids.

He said these fishermen made up of the minority who did not go out to the sea but yet, they still got the subsidy of up to RM200 monthly.

“When they return home, they complain of the small amount of aid they receive, and this has caused misunderstanding among their family members when they wrongly thought the government is neglecting them.”

To be fair to all, Tiong hoped the government’s subsidy would be based on the catches the fishermen brought back from the sea.

“There are instances these fishermen are selling their catches to the foreigners, and this has caused the locals to buy expensive fish due to the supply shortage.”

He suggested the government gave out the subsidy based on the weights of the catches, meaning, if they brought home more fish, they would receive more.

“This will prevent any hanky-panky.”

Nevertheless, Tiong felt the government had been considerate, saying under the housing scheme, the fishermen would also receive aids for house repair.

On fishermen loans, Tiong hoped the government would consider lower the interest rates.

“If possible, consider giving them interest-free loans,” he appealed.

Further replying, the deputy minister said the government had indeed been concerned with the abuse of fishermen’s petrol subsidies, adding this had come at the expense of the deserving fishermen.

On interest-free loans, he said the government was already giving out of up to RM25, 000 each.

Tiong at this juncture thanked the government for that, but, he said the banks and finances had been making life hard when they required the fishermen to produce countless documents to support their applications.

Mohammod Johari then said the loan application from the Bank of Agriculture was not as such, adding the interest-free loans were given out by the Fishery Department through the Agro Bank, and such fear of difficult application did not exist at all.

“Moreover, the interest rate the Agro bank is charging is only at 3.75 per cent per annum for them. This is much lower than those in the banks and finances. The Agro Bank also gives other loans to them.”

He said the government also helped fishermen in other ways, like in accidents and during natural disasters.

“For example, the families can each get up to RM2, 000 for funeral expenses following deaths in a natural disaster, or up to RM4, 000 for accidents at work, and for a loss of life at work, an aid of up to RM10, 000.”

For farmers, he said the government also gave out aids for those suffering losses in natural disasters.

Arau MP Dato Ismail Kasim, at this juncture, stood to say it was nothing new that deep-sea fishermen of Classes C1 and C2 were selling fish to the foreigners.

He said this had caused the government and the deserving fishermen to suffer drawbacks.

He hoped both the fishermen and the farmers would learn to be self-sufficient towards the industrial development so that they would be proud of their achievements, like the fishermen and farmers in Taiwan.