A total of of 465 fishermen in Nusajaya in Malaysia’s South Johor region are in a quandary following the stalled compensation of RM2.9 million over the past eight
The fishermen, from nine villages in south Johor, have been eagerly waiting for their compensation since 2004.
Talks on the quantum of compensation between the two parties have also not concluded, despite negotiations with the developer and the state government last April.
Nevertheless, the developer had then agreed to pay out RM1 million to the fishermen and settle the amount within a month.
However, until today the fishermen have not received the compensation, forcing them to demand that both developer and state government take action.
Sungai Melayu village head, Pandak Ahmad, who also represents the affected fishermen, said the developer and state government should not sideline them.
“At that time, they promised to pay us RM1 million within a month, but until today we have yet to see the money.
“Many fishermen are not satisfied and want an immediate response to settle the issue as their livelihood has been threatened with lesser catch due to the development along the coastal areas,” he said.
Pandak said the fishermen were not against development and wanted the compensation issue settled immediately.
He said the livelihood of many fishermen was affected following the coastal reclamation work since 2000 where the murky water resulted in the closing of mussel farming and depletion of marine resources in the area.
“We want the relevant parties to be more concerned as fishing is our only form of livelihood,” said Pandak.
2011 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad