Cabotage to develop domestic shipping: Bakri
Kota Kinabalu May 10, 2012: Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said the Cabotage Policy is maintained because it is recognised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as being of strategic importance to a nation.
He said this when replying to Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap and Senator Pau Chiong Ung in Dewan Negara.
He said when the policy was implemented in 1980, many countries around the world had already been applying it.
He said the Government implemented the policy to develop the nation's domestic shipping sector and also to achieve various objectives, namely:
- - To abolish the country's dependence on foreign vessels which all this while has been contributing to the outflow of the nation's foreign currencies due to huge payment in the form of fraud and insurance payment
- - To develop the nation's shipping sector to enable those involved to become players in the business of shipping either regionally or internationally
- - To develop the shipping sector that is of a strategic dimension to the nation and part of the defence and security system where vessels could be utilised in case of crisis or emergency
However, Abdul Rahim stressed that the policy is very liberal and does not prevent any foreign vessels that wish to berth in the ports in Sabah and Sarawak to bring goods in or out.
Hopefully the policy will be made known to all so that the foreign vessels that wished to berth in Sabah and Sarawak ports can do so, this will prevent the high cost of goods in the state compare to West Malaysia.
BalasPadamDiharapkan selepas ini, masalah harga barangan tinggi di Sabah ini dapat diselesaikan.
PadamHarap selepas ini harga barang di Sabah tidak akan naik lagi.
PadamWe should enjoy same price like Peninsular too.
PadamJumlah pendapatan tidak dapat menampung kos perbelanjaan yang tinggi.
PadamThe Cabotage policy will not be abolished because it was recognized by the Wolrd Trade Organization, however we hoped that this cabotage will not continue to cause the price difference between here and West Malaysia.
BalasPadamAda keperluan mengekalkan kabotaj policy ini kerana ia masih releven dengan sektor perkapalan dalam negara, cuma peraturan tertentu sahaja yang patut dimansuhkan.
PadamDasar kabotaj ni perlu dikaji semula. mana yang bagi lebih kesan negatif perlu diperbaiki.
PadamTPM mengatakan akan membawa isu kabotaj ini dalam mesyuarat kabinet..
PadamIsu ini harus di kaji semula, untuk kepentingan semua pihak.
Padamkelemahan sistem and polisi harus diperbaiki lagi.
Padamselain polisi kabotaj, ada pelbagai faktor lain yang menyebabkan kenaikan harga barang seperti kos penyimpanan barang dan perkhidmatan di pelabuhan..
BalasPadamapapun, lakukan sesuatu agar harga barangan tidak begitu tinggi.
PadamPolisi Gaji Minima bakal dilaksanakan dan harap ia dapat membantu rakyat miskin untuk mengurangkan bebanan kehidupan.
Padamsesuatu harus dilakukan untuk mengurangkan harga barangan..
Padamkerajaan juga harus memastikan berikutan perlaksanaan kadar gaji minima yang bakal dilaksanakan tidak akan mempengaruhi harga barangan..harga barangan tidak harus dinaikkan sehinggalah semua majikan di malaysia benar2 melaksanakan kadar gaji minima..
PadamKos pengangkutan merupakan faktor utama harga barangan mahal.
Padambiarpun polisi kabotaj diiktiraf oleh WTO, namun disebabkan polisi ini, terdapat perbezaan harga barangan yang begitu ketara di antara semenanjung dan sabah...dan tentu sekali ianya membebankan rakyat sabah..maka adalah wajar jika polisi ini dimansuhkan untuk kepentingan rakyat di sabah dan sarawak..
BalasPadamPAsti ada negara2 yang telah memansuhkan policy tu demi kebaikan rakyat.
Padamfasiliti dan kemudahan di pelabuhan2 di sabah juga harus dinaik taraf..
BalasPadamPolicy tu menguntungkan para perniaga tapi membebankan rakyat.
BalasPadamPolisi yang membebankan rakyat harus dimansuhkan.
BalasPadamPolisi yang tidak memanfaatkan rakyat harus dimansuhkan.
BalasPadamSiapa yang sebenarnya mendapat manfaat dalam sistem cabotage ini?
BalasPadamSiapa yang susah, rakyat saja yang mendelita!
BalasPadamKenapa tidak ada perlabuhan terus saja ke Sabah dan tidak perlu lagi berhenti ke Klang terlebih dahulu. Lebih menjimatkan kos.
BalasPadamMungkin perlu ada persamaan kos barang antara Sabah dan Semenanjung. Jangan ada perbezaan harga jika perlu. Apa guna 1 Malaysia.
BalasPadamkajian demi kajian adalah penting bagi menyelesaikan isu ini.
BalasPadamCabotage policy nampak sangat memberi kesan negatif kepada Sabah.
BalasPadamCabotage policy harus diberi perhatian.
BalasPadamDeputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he will propose for a special cabinet committee to be formed to look into the cabotage policy and other issues related to the price disparity between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.
BalasPadamHe said he would bring the matter up to seek approval from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Naib Tun Razak.
BalasPadam“The paper on cabotage policy will come back next week, which is rather timely. We will propose that a committee be set up to really look beyond what has been discussed so far, to look into details, what needs to be done and taken into account,” he said.
BalasPadamMuhyiddin said the cabotage policy, which has long been blamed for the higher cost of living in Sabah, is of special interest to the Federal Government, just as it is to the State Government and business community in Sabah.
BalasPadamThe policy, together with the higher prices of goods in the state, has been brought up and discussed in Parliament on many occasions, but no tangible solution has been achieved so far, he said.
BalasPadam“We were so engrossed in discussion throughout the dinner that we did not realize what was going on around us. I asked what’s the biggest matter of concern to the business people in Sabah, I already knew the answer but I just wanted to be sure, and the answer was cabotage policy.
BalasPadam“I want to assure you that the issue is also a matter of interest to us at the federal level, with members of parliament from Sabah having repeatedly brought this up for discussion.
BalasPadam“Minister of Transport Datuk Kong Cho Ha has even prepared a paper on the whole issue. So much has been discussed but interestingly there has been no way forward,” he said.
BalasPadamMuhyiddin also noted there has been contention that the glaring disparity in the prices of goods between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia is not due to the cabotage policy but to complex economic factors.
BalasPadamThe role of the special committee, he said, should therefore include identifying and investigating all these factors as well as proposing viable solutions that could be implemented to overcome them.
BalasPadamHe said all parties involved, the business and the government must look beyond just the ongoing debate on cabotage policy but approach the issue from a holistic economic view.
BalasPadamHe said although price disparity is a pure economic matter, there are some quarters who have claimed “unofficial cartel” is monopolizing the market and causing the cost of living in this part of the country to be higher.
BalasPadam“I don’t want to say this and make the shipping companies think that the DPM is making allegation but this is the assumption, but even if this is indeed the case, we have a competition monitoring body in place, anti-monopoly laws,” he said
BalasPadamMuhyiddin said attention should be given to finding tangible solutions in realizing the objective of making Sabah an economic hub for the region.
BalasPadamHe said the country is growing and so is Sabah, and with allocation and investment pouring in, the state already has all the ingredients needed to work towards realizing this ambition.
BalasPadam“But it must be remembered that such a problem like this (cabotage policy) could not be solved overnight, it takes time,” he said, adding that a thorough study needs to be conducted to investigate all aspects and concerns involved and whether a solution, for example making Kota Kinabalu a regional port is even economical.
BalasPadamHe stressed the Federal Government want to see Sabah continues to grow economically as this would translate into economic growth for the whole country.
BalasPadamChief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, in his welcoming remarks earlier, said local companies in Sabah want to be given more opportunities to participate and benefit from the oil and gas industry currently being developed in the state.
BalasPadam