A group of Maldivian fishermen have said they will protest on 6 March if the government does not take action to alleviate the poor fish catch.
But the president of the Fishermen's Union has said its 6,000 members will not be participating, adding, political parties were trying to exploit the problems faced by fishermen for political mileage.The Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), which has announced it will be helping to organise the protest, has said they were approached by fishermen to help them plan the demonstration.
"Last resort"Ali Ibrahim of R.Maakuradhoo, who has been a fisherman for the past eight years, has said he is not interested in going up against the government.
"Last resort"Ali Ibrahim of R.Maakuradhoo, who has been a fisherman for the past eight years, has said he is not interested in going up against the government.
"Protesting is the last resort," he said. "This is purely a problem fishermen face. We want them to fix a reasonable price for buying our fish.
"Ibrahim has said he welcomed any political party that would be willing to help them organise the protest. "We barely make ends meet and we don't have enough money to buy diesel and feed our families." He added crews from at least 40 dhonis would be participating in the protest.
On the Fishermen's Union, he said the organisation did not comprise all fishermen and was mostly made up of buyers of fish.
ObsoleteMohamed Hassan of Gdh.Thinadhoo, a fisherman with 27 years of experience, has said the government should implement measures to address the sharp decline in fish catch."Since last July there has been a steep drop in the number of fish caught by line fishing.
The civil service takes care of government employees but who takes care of us? We are at the mercy of nature. If we return empty-handed our families will suffer." Hassan added the previous government had neglected the fisheries industry as it was only interested in the tourism sector.
"No research has been done on fisheries. The government has not helped us in using new technology and they have not informed us if we need to change our fishing methods."At this rate we will be forced to take up other jobs. A centuries-old tradition is going to become obsolete. Is the country going to watch this happen?"A helping handDirector of MIFCO Ali Faiz has said there is no cause for concern. "We are doing all that is possible to facilitate fishermen. The recent decline in fish has made it difficult for us to honour our commitments in selling as well.
"There has been a seasonal change and no one knows why. When they contact us for help, we do all we can. We use a satellite tracking system device and inform fishermen of good fishing spots. We send our big boats there so that fishermen in dhonis (boat) can feel safe."
Faiz added MIFCO planned to lease out ten dhonis to fishermen on a scheme that would involve them owning the boats in the long run.On the protest, he said, "It's good that people can voice their concerns now."ExploitationPresident of the Fishermen's Union Ibrahim Umar has said political parties have been trying to exploit fishermen for political gain. "The government is barely three months old," he said. "We will give them at least six months.
Even now they have lowered the price of an ice box by Rf500 at our request…but they can still lower the price as they are making a profit.Furthermore, he added Maldives Transport and Contracting Company was selling fishermen engines at a 50 per cent profit even though they were buying them cheaply. "Things need to change. We will not participate in the protest nor discourage it."Fisherman Hassan has said he will not protest but will consider it in the future if the situation does not improve.
"We can't afford to wait around like this. But this government is in its infancy. We are not fools to protest now without giving them more time."
source: www. minivannews.com
