DAP parliamentarian for Taiping Nga Kor Ming said the government should negotiate with representatives of the fishing community to resolve issues relating to their three-day strike.

fishermen nelayan protest 161208 Last Friday, 45,000 fishermen from 11 states went on strike to force the government into lowering the price of subsidised diesel from RM1.30.

They have reportedly threatened to continue their action indefinitely until the subsidised price drops to RM1 per litre. The strike has resulted in the price of seafood shooting up by 30 percent.

Criticising the government’s “indifference” to the plight of the fishermen, Ngo said in a statement that agriculture and agro-based industry ministry officials should “go to the ground” and listen to the problems of those affected.

Up until yesterday , fishermen have had to fork out RM1.43 for diesel to power their fishing boats. Even with the drop in price, effective today, they say the RM200 in monthly aid from the ministry does little to improve their meagre earnings.

nga kor ming Nga said this is because every class B vessel requires RM7,000-8,000 of diesel per month, while class C ‘deep-sea’ fishing boats require at least RM30,000 of diesel.

It is for this reason and the cumbersome bureaucratic process - and not the fishermen’s ‘wealth’ - that they do not bother to claim the RM200 monthly assistance, said Nga.

He also said it does not make sense that the diesel price in 2000 was RM0.80 when world crude oil was US$47 per barrel - and that the price is now RM1.30 despite lower global price.

liow tiong lai MCA vice-president and Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, meanwhile, said he has already “gone to the ground” to meet fishermen in Selangor and Perak to listen to their complaints.

“We will bring their views into the next cabinet meeting to resolve the problem,” he told reporters after launching the national World Aids Day 2008 in Petaling Jaya today.