LKIM plans to hold financial training, guidance course for account assistants

0

Jamaludin (centre), Rashid (fourth right), Hakinah (third left) and others cutting the anniversary cake.

KUCHING: Malaysia Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) plans to hold financial training and guidance course for all fishermen associations’ account assistants in Malaysia starting next year.

Its director general Jamaludin Othman who said this, added the initiative will ensure financial management of all fishermen associations follows the set standard operating procedure (SOP).

“I have told this to the Fishermen Body Registrar Office director and the finance department at the headquarters that in 2020, we need to hold training and guidance to account assistants including in Sarawak. It is to equip them with important knowledge so that all fishermen associations in the country follow the SOP,” he said at the Fishermen Association Sarawak (Panesa) official website launching, closing of team building and the association’s 34th anniversary celebration at Damai Beach Resort yesterday.

He said the suggestion was brought up during a meeting several days ago, and the training would be conducted according to the zones.

This will enable the account assistants to close accounts according to schedule and manage the accounts properly, he said.

Meanwhile, he urged Panesa board members to think of ways to attract younger generation to become fishermen and go out to sea.

According to statistics on 56,000 licensed fishermen who actively go to sea, 74 per cent are above 40 years old, and those below 25 are around 10 per cent.

“We know that this is because of the pay and the 3Ds (dangerous, difficult, dirty job). Thus, we need to find ways to attract more youths to go to sea.”

Earlier, Fishermen Body Registrar Office director Nik Rashid Nik Jusoh said Penesa has the second best financial performance after Johor.

Panesa recorded profit of RM1.2 million in 2017 and RM1.04 million last year.

“This year, we project that it will hit RM1.4 or RM1.5 million. I hope that this year Panesa will get first place.”

Present at the event was Panesa general manager Hakinah Amer.