KUALA NERUS, May 23 — The Kuala Nerus Aquapolitan Project launched today has a government-set target of a RM5,000 monthly income for the participating fishermen by 2020.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the integrated project could help raise the income and standard of living of the fishermen who had been living in poverty due to a decline in marine products and price manipulation by middlemen.

“It is a pioneer project known as ‘Felda of the Sea’ which resembles the Felda scheme, but adapted for fishermen. It is an idea that has yet to be implemented in any other country,” he said at the launch of the project at the Kuala Terengganu City Centre in Kampung Seberang Takir near here today.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman, State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Zubir Embong and East Coast Economic Region Development Council chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John were also present at the event.

The project is being developed with the collaboration of ECERDC, the Terengganu government and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

The project will emerge as an integrated and sustainable fisheries ecosystem that incorporates the construction of a fisheries terminal, fish processing centre, fresh fish market and restaurants.

It will be started with the participation of 400 fishermen and their families.

Najib said the project would bring about a major transformation to the area for which the government had invested RM400 million to improve the plight of the fishermen.

The Prime Minister said the Umno-Barisan Nasional-led government was committed to helping the people, especially those in the low-income group, to raise their standard of living and elevate them from poverty.

He said the government did not need any ‘Citizens Declaration’ to improve the livelihood of the people but required the undivided support of the people and a stable political atmosphere to implement more development projects.

“We are not afraid to try out new ideas that can benefit the people because our aim is to improve the livelihood of the people and uplift them from poverty,” he said.

Najib said the people should not take lightly the progress that had been achieved because it was not easily attained, but with a stable political atmosphere and sound financial management to implement various programmes for the people.

“If we are confused, we will not be able to implement this project. We are able to do so because of our financial strength despite a drop in the oil price,” he said.

Najib said the BN government had proven its success through the opening of plantations by Felda, a scheme that had given rise to globally successful generations of people.

“Some people say it is easy to open up Felda schemes, but many countries have tried and failed. This goes to show that the BN government has been successful where others have failed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Razif, speaking at the event, expressed his gratitude to Najib for taking into consideration the plight of trishaw riders and passenger boat operators in the state.

He said the Prime Minister had stated his preparedness to help the 22 trishaw riders and 20 boat operators and had approved an immediate allocation of RM466,000, of which RM400,000 was for the boat operators and RM66,000 for the trishaw riders.

Although the trishaws were old and the riders were less energetic, the riders remained committed to promoting and preserving the dignity of Terengganu, he said.

“The allocation reflects that these groups of people are not marginalised from development,” he said. — Bernama