By Luke Rintod
Once again the national budget has forgotten the
farming community in Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: While civil
servants, soldiers, police, pensioners and a raft of private sector workers
have gained some handouts from the 2012 Budget, the farming community in the
state can only stare in envy.
For them
there was nothing to smile about after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Friday
unveiled his budget for 2012 along with a “national transformation policy”
geared towards lifting the country to developed nation status by 2020.
The farming
community in Sabah is not taking it lying down. Already they are seeing their
lands being invaded by plantation companies with the permission of the
government.
In a
statement on Saturday, the Sabah Bumiputera Farmers and Rearers Association
(Petanah) said the budget by the prime minister was a “huge slap in the face of
native farmers in Sabah and Sarawak”.
Petanah
president, Gaibin Ransoi, said he was shocked that, with all the many packages
offered to Malaysians, Najib totally forgot about the poverty-ridden farmers in
the Borneo states.
“It’s the
same case year after year with the national budget. There are incentives, gifts
and additional benefits given to public servants and those already earning good
salaries, but those who have no salaries and struggling in poverty like the
farmers are completely forgotten and neglected.
“At least
the fishermen were promised the Fisherman Special Housing Fund to build and
refurbish their houses.
“For the
native farmers it is another slap in the face because while all those around
them get wage increases, financial reliefs and assistance, they continue to
slide down economically.
“This is
because while their farm production remains the same, they have to face higher
and higher living and working costs,” he said.
Extend allowance to farmers
He said the price of groceries, transport and schooling expenses for their
children, as well as for farming equipment and fertilizers continued to rise
while most farmers in the state were practicing subsistence farming.
Gaibin said Petanah members
are angry that the government keeps forgetting that news about bonuses,
increases in salaries and reduction of taxes mean nothing to the poor native
farmers who do not enjoy any of these.
“Why can’t
the government has any feeling for the native farmers especially those in Sabah
who form the poorest grouping of the population but contribute hugely to the
nation in terms of food production?” Gaibin asked.
He said for
a long time now the fishermen have been given a monthly allowance of RM200,
free boats, engines, nets and petrol discounts while the poor farmers in the
hills get almost nothing.
Gaibin
suggested that the government come up with a comprehensive plan to help the
native villagers improve their economic standing by offering them more farming
and stockbreeding incentives.
One form of
immediate assistance, he said, could be through grants of RM300 per month to
all farmers, RM100 more than the fishermen to compensate for their not
receiving boats, engines and petrol.
He pointed
out that most farmers in Sabah are living well below the poverty line and many
can hardly support themselves and have almost no cash in the house.
“Many live
in decrepit houses without basic amenities and their children are hardly
clothed.
“The worst
thing is that many of them are being chased out of their NCR lands because
their lands have been given to big companies.
“Sadly,
some politicians who were voted into office by the poor farmers are siding with
these companies,” he said.
Over the
past several years, the mostly indigent farmers in rural areas have seen lands
that they had toiled on for generations to eke out a living come under the
control of well-connected companies, some of which have appointed politicians
to their boards of directors.
[Photo from
insightsabah.gov.my]
Source : FMT
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