Fishermen’s strike: Minister was sleeping, says Chua

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek hit out at “sleepy” Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob for saying the former was at a meeting to discuss about the removal of super subsidies for C2-class deepsea fishing trawler operators.

He also criticised Ismail Sabri for threatening the trawlers who are on strike in protest against the scrapping of the subsidies.

Chua said he was not present at the meeting of the National Economic Council last month which discussed the subsidy cuts.

Ismail Sabri claimed Chua did not object to the cuts when the matter was broached at the meeting.

“The minister must be sleeping because I did not attend the meeting. He got it all wrong,” Chua told a press conference at the MCA headquarters here today.

About 1,000 C2-class fishing trawler operators from Kuantan, Johor and Perlis are into their fourth day of strike in protest against the move to abolish diesel subsidies. From June 1, they have to pay RM1.80 per litre compared with RM1.25 previously.

“Cabinet decisions are not cast in stone. There is no need to threaten fishermen,” Chua said.

“If you don’t want to see people, and then threaten them, it does not tie in with the prime minister’s emphasis on people first, performance now.”

Ismail Sabri and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar have said that the government will not respond to the fishermen’s strike.

Ismail Sabri also said he would not discuss the matter with the fishermen while Noh warned the fishermen that if they joined the strike, they would have their licences revoked.