Now that the dust have settled amidst the lingering euphoria for many (me included), it’s time to get back to the fishy business.
HISTORIC ELECTION WIN FOR MALAYSIA OPPOSITION PACT
Briefly, many who knows the country well enough, would never thought this day would come, ridding the BN government that has ruled since independence in 1957 (for 61 years).
A NEW HOPE
The opposition pact that won, Pakatan Harapan, translates to Coalition of Hope. With that, I too have a few hopes when it comes to the sport fishing scene in Malaysia.
The country has so much potentials to develop the sport and also turn it into a top tourism attraction. Little, if not nothing, have been done to develop this industry. On the contrary, destruction continues.
Only developed countries have shown maturity and are educated enough to develop this industry. Let us hope that will happen here too, even just a little bit.
The previous tourism ministry did not hit the mark. Not even close. As a matter of fact none of the ministers before that has had much to say about promoting sports fishing industry in Malaysia as a tourism product … such a waste they don’t know what they’re missing here.
We (used to) have a lot of inept and unqualified public servants holding government positions pretending they know what their job is supposed to be but are actually clueless on top of not doing much work.
The crappy tourism logo fiasco in January 2018 is another example. Instead of admitting the logo looks outstandingly amateurish and should not be used all around the world to promote our beautiful country, the tourism minister chooses to defend the design and be sarcastic to feedbacks from the public.
Probably lost a few votes there!
FISH IS FOOD
The people in-charge here only knows fish is for catching and eating. Period. Instead of looking longterm and finding out the sport-fishing industry can bring in more money than the commercial fishing industry, they instead only know commercial fishing and fishermen are important. That they need to catch a lot of fish, to feed the population.
They don’t have the slightest clue as to where and how fish come about, they are just there, waiting to be netted.
The above is clearly illustrated by a Terengganu state fishery department (Jabatan Perikanan Terengganu) officer, Zawawi Ali the director no less! In a news article, he stated the need to monitor the activity of “fly fishing” to ensure they do not cause fish population extinction! And that fly fishing will affect the livelihood of traditional methods of fish catching! Incredible, and fly fishing of all things.
I hope this guy thinks fly fishing is something else and not the fly fishing that we know of, which is the least destructive method of fishing there is.
Another sad example is the neglected, huge and world-famous sailfish fishing scene in Kuala Rompin. After all these years, even with all the efforts pushed forward by the stakeholders, the local government has done next to nothing to protect and preserve this precious resource! Other developed markets are dying with envy of what is available in Kuala Rompin, and would step over one another to develop the area.
Let us therefore hope the new tourism minister will be someone educated, more environment and fish friendly. Or at least fisher-friendly and will listen to what the recreational fishing community have to say.
Thank you for reading my rant! And let’s pray for better things to come. Tight lines.
Juan Wei is a Malaysian through and through. A Malaysian Chinese to be exact. Though he may have a Spanish sounding name, he does not speak any Spanish… other than Hola! and Beunos dias.
