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GEORGE TOWN – These days, there is nothing a woman can’t do that a man can.
This includes braving the high waves as a means of making ends meet.
For Fajinah Jaafar, 60, nothing brings her more satisfaction than earning a living as a fisherwoman on her rickety boat.
“Many see this as a man’s job.
“You can count the number of fisherwomen out there, and I can assure you that there’s not more than 10 in the state.
“But I do it because my soul is here, no matter what I do, I still want to go back to sea,” said Fajinah.
Growing up in a family of 10 siblings, her father was the sole breadwinner.
As a young girl, she would follow her father to sea for the day’s catch.
Other jobs could not offer the satisfaction that Fajinah felt at sea.
“I worked for a few multinational companies and was promoted from an operator to a supervisor, but when my boss offered me a managerial position, I said no because I didn’t want my to be attached to a company or to anyone for that matter.
“So, I went back to sea to create the life I wanted,” she said.
Every morning, she would undock between 4.30am and 5am, not knowing when she will be back.
“The sea, wind and tide dictates how long I will be out there.
“A job at sea is really tough and dangerous plus the sea doesn’t promise us anything.
“If my soul is not at sea, I cannot do it.
“There are many things that can injure or even kill us at sea like jellyfish, snakes and poisonous fish,” said Fajinah.
A single mother of two, Fajinah brought her two children along to sea during the school holidays.
And when school is back in full swing, they are taken care of by a babysitter.
When the southern winds were strong, she could not venture out to sea and to keep her family afloat, she would work as a lorry or forklift driver.
Fajinah even has a license to handle cranes.
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“I go out to sea alone, but if I go deep sea fishing, I have one more person as part of my crew.
“I used to catch bigger fish, before moving on to prawns.
“Now that I am old, I catch ikan belanak (blue spot mullet) not too far offshore as it is lighter and reeling the net in does not hurt my back,” she said, adding that 1kg of blue spot mullet is sold at RM4 per kg.
On good days she can net 100kg of ikan belanak.
When asked if she felt out of place being one of the few women in this field, Fajinah said the job made her feel free.
“It is a life that I have crafted for myself.
“But that does not mean I don’t educate myself about the things around me,” she said.
Fajinah has picked up English and Hokkien while she was working at a factory.
Today, she greets and chats with her predominantly Chinese neighbours in the fishing village of Kuala Sungai Pinang in Hokkien.
Six years ago, she took a sabbatical to Australia and worked as a fruit picker for a year.
She was offered a job to manage the farm but declined because she wanted to get back to the sea.
“Whatever I say I want to do, I’ll do it. Nothing will stop me. Only God can stop me,” added Fajinah. – The Vibes, March 7, 2021
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