Jeffrey: Cabotage costing people in Sabah dearly

If the National Cabotage Policy (NCP) can be abolished, Sabah can emerge as the “Hub of the Far East” i.e. the “Dubai of East Asia”.

KOTA KINABALU: Bingkor Assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan, in calling for the 35-year-old National Cabotage Policy (NCP) to be scrapped, said that it’s costing the 3.2 million people in Sabah an estimated RM200 each per month. “If the NCP can be abolished, Sabah can emerge as the ‘Hub of the Far East’ i.e. the “Dubai of East Asia’.”

“Kota Kinabalu, as the shipping hub, will also lead to the economic growth of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga).”

Jeffrey, who is also Star Sabah Chief, lamented that endless complaints had been lodged with Putrajaya on the NCP but they had all fallen on deaf ears. “Putrajaya will only listen when Umno/Barisan Nasional (BN) is thrown out and a new government comes in.”

“If the Federal Government wants to keep the NCP, it should exclude Sabah and Sarawak.”

Jeffrey was commenting amidst reports that the National Export Council (NEC) would meet next month on the NCP and also statements made by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Shabery Cheek and Sabah Industrial Development Minister Raymond Tan Shu Kiah. “The NEC should state in no uncertain terms that the crippling costs in Borneo, brought about by the NCP, should end.”

He was particularly upset with Tan’s statement attributing the growing controversy over the NCP to miscommunication between Federal Ministers and Sabahans and contradictory statements. “Tan should support the abolishment of the NCP which is responsible for costs in Sabah, Labuan and Sarawak being 30 per cent higher.”

“Although a Federal policy, it was clearly against the interests of the people in Borneo.”

Tan, added Jeffrey, was not making things any easier by saying that he was not taking sides in the debate on the NCP. “He’s a Sabah Minister. He should behave like one and call for the abolishment of the NCP.”

The lawmaker noted that at least Shabery appeared to understand the problem when he said that the system was no longer practical since importers and exporters in Borneo had to go through Port Kelang, the National Load Transshipment Centre, in the peninsula. “It’s an old system that needs to be reviewed as foreign ships coming to Malaysia have to unload at Port Kelang. This pushes costs up,” Jeffrey quoted Shabery as saying in Tuaran, Sabah, at the year end.

Tan pointed out that it was difficult when Shabery said that the NCP had to be removed while Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that repealing the policy was unnecessary and that he could help Sabahans on the issues, if any, arising from it. “Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has also said that it was not true that things in Sabah were more expensive because of the NCP,” said Tan. “This gives me the impression that they don’t even talk to each other.”

“It would be easy for Shabery, Liow and Najib to talk to each other in Putrajaya on the NCP.”

Of Sabah’s domestic market of 3.2 million people in 2010, only 1.5 million were locals, while another 1.7 million were foreigners including 400,000 illegal immigrants, 600,000 with dubious documents and the other 700,000 people had valid travel documents and work permits.