GEORGE TOWN: Fishermen must register with fishermen’s associations to be eligible for the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) from the federal government, according to the Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM).
Penang LKIM director Raja Kahalid Raja Ariffin they should also be committed to their job as fishermen.
“We will withdraw the allowance if the fishermen switch to doing other jobs,” he told reporters after the handing over of the allowances here.
Raja Kahalid said the federal government had given out RM37.8 million to 4,556 fishermen in Penang between June 2008 and December 2011.
He advised fishermen to keep their bank passbooks updated and to inform LKIM if they are unable to go out to sea for a long period.
“The fishermen should also attend meetings every four months organised by the associations to ensure that they continue to receive the allowance,” he said.
He also said that 2,480 people in the state received subsidised diesel at RM1.20 per litre and subsidised petrol at RM1.90 per litre up to December.
Raja Kahalid said the government gave out RM4.2 million in welfare loans to 900 fishermen since the introduction of the facility in 2005, but up to December this year only RM754,000 or four per cent of the loans was paid back by the borrowers.
“Of the 900 borrowers, only 150 made consistent repayments. It is hoped that more of the borrowers will repay the loans so that other fishermen facing financial difficulty can be given the loans,” he said.
Yesterday, 546 fishermen from the Teluk Bahang Fishermen’s Association received their COLA. Teluk Bahang state assemblyman Datuk Seri Hilmi Yahya officiated at the function. — Bernama