BN government uplifts fishermen from poverty - Najib





PEKAN, May 8 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional government has successfully uplifted the fishermen in the country from the shackles of poverty through various initiatives designed to help them, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said these efforts did not happen on their own but through careful planning, so much so that the fishermen now faced a better future.

"For example, two years ago I decided to approve a RM300 monthly cost-of-living allowance for fishermen in the country to help ease their financial burden.

"In Kuala Pahang alone, RM2.4 million was approved as the cost-of-living allowance for 650 fishermen, on top of the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) which each of them benefits from," he said at a gathering of fishermen in Kuala Pahang here.

The BN candidate for the Peramu Jaya state seat Datuk Seri Sh Mohmed Fuzi Sh Ali and the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Development Council CEO Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John were also present at the event.

Najib said the fishing village in Kuala Pahang was a model of the government success in transforming a traditional fishing settlement into a modern fishing village provided with various facilities, including with the assistance of the ECERDC.

He said the village was once a settlement of dilapidated houses, some on the verge of collapse, the occupants living from hand to mouth, and the environment dull.

"Today, Kampung Kuala Pahang has transformed... there is a concrete jetty, there are brick houses and a fishermen's centre and the Kuala Pahang Grilled Fish Square for the people to buy various seafood products," he said.

He also that several houses and a mosque in the Kuala Pahang fishing village were solar-powered, clearly reflecting that the traditional settlement was not left out of the national development mainstream.

Najib said he was grateful to Universiti Malaysia Pahang which helped to repair the dilapidated houses of the people in the area.

He also promised to approve additional allocations for new houses in Kuala Pahang and said he would have discussions on the matter with the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority.

-- BERNAMA