Fishermen in Muar want leaders who are constantly on the ground rather than those who only show up during elections.

MUAR: A group of fishermen in Parit Sakai and Parit Jawa here are downbeat about the general election as they believe most candidates will “disappear” after winning as elected representatives.

Rashid Ishak said, as a fisherman, he no longer cared who led the country. Regardless of who was elected, he said, fishermen in Muar would continue to go to sea as usual to earn a living.

“There is no easy living (for us). It’s only (managing to) have enough to eat,” the 70-year-old said.

Rashid said if the government was looking to assist fishermen, it only needed to lower the price of nets to catch shrimp.

“Let’s say the price of a net is RM50, reducing it to RM30 is enough to help fishermen. We ask for nothing more,” he told FMT.

Azwan Ibrahim, 48, said fishermen in Muar wanted an elected representative who frequently went to the ground rather than simply appearing during the election campaign.

Explaining that a huge challenge for fishermen was the inability to go to sea during the monsoon season, he hoped the government would not reduce subsidies and subsistence allowances to fishermen throughout this period.

“It (the government) should continue providing assistance to ensure the welfare of fishermen is well taken care of,” he said.

Another fisherman, Kamarudin Abdullah, said he would still vote in the coming polls despite the uncertain political situation in the country.

“No one is perfect when it comes to being a leader,” the 58-year-old said.

“(But) for me, new faces must be given a chance to freshen up the leadership (of the country).” - FMT