SAFMA GROUND NOT SUITABLE

BAD..... Passenger ferry jetty in bad shape.

THE ISSUE on the small local fishing boats being asked to land their catch onto the SAFMA ground is unreasonable. This call was made by the Kota Kinabalu City Hall when the KK MP Hiew King Cheu suggested a small jetty to be constructed at the back of the KK fish market to provide an easy way for the local fishermen to unload their catch.

At the moment, these small fishing boats are unloading their catch from the small boat over the sea wall and through a hole in the fence. There is no proper landing point or jetty any way to be found. This job is risky and the chance for them falling into the sea with their catch is high during rough sea.

The fishermen want the jetty to be built and a gate opening for their access to the fish market. They wouldn’t want to unload their catch to the SAFMA ground for fear that they will be charged.

The second reason is that the SAFMA jetty is congested and crowded with big fishing boats unloading fishes, uploading supplies, refueling and pumping in fresh water. If small fishing boats are squeezing in between, what will happen?

This is definitely a bad suggestion from the DBKK, and the fishermen asked, who is going to carry the baskets of fishes from the SAFMA jetty to the central fish market for them?

KK MP Hiew suggested that the best solution is the government should utilize some fund to build a small jetty for the local fishermen operating with small fishing boats.

A gateway is to be open for their access to the fish market and to land their catch. The government should try its best to meet and provide the convenience and to solve the problems of the people.

Besides, the passenger jetty next to the KK fish market where the passenger boats ferrying people to the islands is falling into very bad shape and soon it will not be serviceable anymore.

Hiew urges the authority to come in to make repair before the jetty fall into pieces. There are thousand of people using the jetty every day, and they cannot do without the jetty even a single day.