THERE will be no changes to the Penang South Island’s (PSI) Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) scheme, says State Secretary Datuk Mohd Sayuthi Bakar.
Mohd Sayuthi said the matter was decided during the state executive councillor meeting held on June 21.
“Although the Penang government has decided to scale down the project from three islands to a single island, now known as Silicon Island (Island A), the SIMP package promised to eligible fishermen will remain unchanged.
“So, a total of nine fishermen units in south Penang Island will benefit from SIMP package and the package will remain unchanged as previously announced to the fishermen.
“This means the SIMP packages promised to Tier 1 and 2 fishermen remain the same,” Mohd Sayuthi said in his speech during the handover ceremony of new boats and engines under the SIMP scheme in Batu Maung recently.
Boat owners and their crew from the Permatang Tepi Laut, Sungai Batu, Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul fishermen units will still receive benefits for Tier 1 fishermen, including new boats, engines and a jetty. The ex-gratia payment will also remain the same.
According to Mohd Sayuthi, the SIMP’s boat, and engine aid programme will still be implemented in phases even though reclamation work has yet to begin.
“The state government takes into account the needs of fishermen requiring larger boats and more powerful engines to operate safely and efficiently in fishing areas located far from the PSI site.
“The fishermen will incur high costs if they need to repair their old boats or purchase new ones.
“With this in mind, the state government decided to prioritise fishermen who urgently need new boats even though the PSI reclamation has not yet started,” he said.
During the ceremony, seven fishermen from Permatang Tepi Laut and Teluk Kumbar received new boats and engines, while five others were presented with replica keys as their new boats are currently under construction. The remaining fishermen will receive their boats and engines in subsequent stages.
The entire batch of 12 boats and engines cost the state government an estimated RM960,000.
During the same event, Mohd Sayuthi also presented the Certificate of Competence (COC) and the seafarer licences to 11 fishermen who recently passed the Malaysian Marine Department’s exam.
These fishermen had previously enrolled in the seafarer course offered under the SIMP to enhance their qualifications for new business and employment opportunities in the PSI project.
With the COC, they can now pilot passenger boats. This gives them the opportunity to earn extra income by providing water transportation services that will be required in the PSI reclamation soon.
Also present during the ceremony were Penang Infrastructure Corporation Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus and Silicon Island Development Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Szeto Wai Loong.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix courtesy of SRS Consortium