Protecting marine environment requires cooperation, support of all – Ramlee
SEMPORNA: The efforts by the government to preserve the natural beauty of the marine environment requires the cooperation and support of all parties.
Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Ramlee Marhaban said the involvement of all parties, including fishermen, is necessary to ensure the beauty of the marine environment, especially in Semporna, remains protected.
Ramlee said the government had carried various efforts, including cooperation with agencies like Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), to preserve the beauty of the marine environment.
“The shortcoming in efforts to conserve the marine environment in some areas is being addressed by the government in order to preserve Semporna as a tourism centre,” he said when officiating at the Marine Education and Public Awareness (MEPA) programme organized by UMS and UiTM in cooperation with the district office here.
He said having such programme would not only raise the awareness level of students to care for the marine environment but could also promote Semporna as maritime haven. Therefore, he said the programme should be expanded to involve more groups, including fishermen.
Meanwhile, Ramlee, who is also the Bugaya assemblyman, suggested that the government give attention to other parties in carrying out efforts to take care of the marine environment.
Ramlee said limited areas for the conservation of marine life is becoming more apparent and this has, to some extent, affected the hardcore fishermen's source of income.
Perhaps, he said the government should conduct a study on this and suggested that the areas, which are traditionally fishing grounds of the hardcore fishermen, should remain exclusive to them.
“However, monitoring and enforcement should be carried out to ensure there is no usage of bombs or chemicals that could damage the ecosystems in the areas. By ensuring that, the hardcore fishermen could continue with their traditional activity while the ecosystems remain protected,” he said.
Ramlee added that there are about 30 percent of hardcore fishermen in Semporna whose main source of income is fishing.