KOTA KINABALU – Sabah’s efforts to regain control over deep-sea fishing is under way, and progress on the matter will only be known in the next cabinet meeting, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
Jeffrey, who is also Sabah’s agriculture minister, said the chief minister has been briefed on the matter and is expected to discuss the matter with the prime minister.
“We (the state Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry) have briefed Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on the matter and he will brief Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“We are still at the discussion stage and we expect there should be some tangible progress in the next cabinet meeting,” he said after a breaking of fast session with AirAsia Farm here today.
Sabah lost its rights to deep-sea fishing after adopting the federal Fisheries Act 1985, which allows the federal government to collect revenue for all marine products.
The state fishing industry is valued at more than RM800 milliion annually, and all the monies go directly to the federal government through the Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM).
Jeffrey said the state needs to revive the old Fisheries Ordinance, among other efforts, to regain its rights, adding that Sabah is also in the midst of regaining autonomy over its tourism sector.
He said tourism is under the concurrent list, which has come under the federal list’s Act 805 from June 24, 1994.
The issuance of licences for tour buses, hotels, home stays and other related tourism products are currently under the federal authority, something Jeffrey said the state is also working on regaining rights to.
“Now that we are fighting to regain state rights... we want all of these to be reverted back to its original owner,” he said.
On another development, Jeffrey said local businesses need not be concerned over the imposition of seafood export tax on crabs as not much exporting activities are ongoing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From May 1 onwards, the export of crabs and lobsters are charged between 5% and 10% tax under an adjusted tariff system on seafood.
“Under the current circumstances, we are not able to export. We will implement it when the time comes.
“They (businesses) have been informed and there is a law for this but it is just sitting there doing nothing.
“When we export, the government is expected to collect taxes, but at present, we do not expect any exports to be done.” – The Vibes, May 3, 2021
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