A couple of months ago, the authorities lauded that the study to abolish the cabotage policy in Sabah was completed. This after more than 20 years of looking after the interests of less than 50 shipowners against the wishes of more than seven million people in Sabah and Sarawak.

But that was several months ago. Now the quiet continues, perhaps for another 20 years. Why such a lengthy procrastination? All what was needed to be done was for the minister to declare the Sapangar Container Port Terminal as a federal port.

In the 80s Sabah and Sarawak had their own Merchants Shipping Ordinance 1952 which empowered them to give licenses to merchant ships. It was repealed, giving way for the federal government to streamline the laws of the seas, but the people of Sabah and Sarawak, as a consequence, suffered.

The federal government policy is to assist the government of Malaysia’s shipping industry which is little connected to Sabah and Sarawak’s shipping industry.

In Malaya, the development concentration is mainly at Port Klang while all major towns are easily accessible by good roads and railways. The other five major ports there are already federal ports and industrialisation strategies undertaken in the 70s to the 90s are consistent with this development.

Both leaders at the federal and the state level are equally blamable. The leaders at the centre argue that they are looking at the national interest so as far as they are concerned, the political backlash for them is practically nil.

But at the state level, have they pursued the interest of the people? When the two states cannot say and have no say in this matter, the people are the losers and industrialisation is handicapped due mainly to the shipping cost factor.

Where is the ‘sound and good’ relationship between federal and state leadership? Or is it a marriage of convenience or a relationship merely cloaking a more sinister conspiracy to ensure the people of Sabah and Sarawak are subservient to the ‘master’ in Malaya?

Since the shipping industry is influential for the states’ economy perhaps it is appropriate that in the next election, Sabahans and Sarawakians think hard before casting their vote.

‘Freight charges and inland transport costs’ is the magic mantra the government keeps on chanting to justify the cabotage policy. This shows the shallowness and myopic view on the current government’s leadership.

Malaya has five ports and all of them are categorised as federal ports. Sabah has seven ports and none of them have been categorised as a federal port. A federal port permits foreign-registered vessels to load and unload their cargos whilst a state port only allows loading and unloading from Malaysian registered vessels.

Malaya has good roads crisscrossing all over the place whilst Sabah has limited access and sub-standard roads. This means if someone wants to import goods from Hong Kong, these goods have to go first to Port Klang, then transferred to a Malaysian-registered vessel and then only sent back to Kota Kinabalu.

Within Sabah itself, goods have to be transported to all major towns by ship rather than using inland transport.

The minister has it all wrong when he says inland transportation cost is one of the factor that increases the price of goods in Sabah. He must have confused that the conditions in Malaya are the same as in Sabah.

Ships first going to Port Klang and then only Sabah or Sarawak is one major reasons we have price differences. In economics this is called Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). It also means that RM1 in Kuala Lumpur will probably have a value of RM0.70 cents in Kota Kinabalu.

This value may reduce further as we go to Keningau, Tenom and eventually Tilis.

I think the minister responsible should start doing his own shopping. When he does, look at the printed Recommended Retail Price (RRP) for the goods. It clearly printed on their boxes, wrapping or covers-.

There is one price for Peninsular Malaysia and another price for East Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Our own leaders have been harping on their good relations with leaders in the centre which they say contributes to the development of the state. Why then has the cabotage policy dragged on for more than 20 years with still no light at the end of the tunnel?