Masing (fourth right) flanked by Julaihi (centre) in a photo call with Lau (third right) and officers from KPA and the ministry.
KUCHING (April 29): Local shipping companies should adopt a ‘give-and-take’ attitude towards the issues surrounding Kuching Port Authority’s (KPA) container handling operation which is currently being addressed, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing.
Masing, who is Infrastructure and Ports Development Minister, said while he is helping to protect the local shipping industry players, they should in return help the people by not causing the price of items to rise.
“It is a win-win situation for both. I protect the shipping companies by not taking away the cabotage policy, at the same time, the shipping companies must help protect the people of Sarawak from high cost of items,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“It is a give-and-take situation by the shipping companies and by the Sarawak government,” he added.
According to Masing, he had received letters and phone calls from traders, both in Sarawak as well as overseas, to do away with the cabotage policy that protects the local shipping companies in Malaysia.
“It (policy) is a law whereby no foreign-owned vessels are allowed to operate within domestic waters. At the moment I am not interested in doing it for a simple reason, that is, I want to protect the shipping companies in Sarawak so that they will not face any competition from outside shippers coming in.
“Therefore, if I am protecting them, the shipping companies also must protect the shipping interest in Sarawak, that is all I want,” he reiterated.
Earlier yesterday, Masing made another visit to KPA to get updates on the ongoing problems at the port authority since the computer outage incident at the end of last month.
He said the computer outage at KPA was due to “natural disaster” but that the port authority was doing its best to fix the problem.
He also promised that KPA would be in a better position to dispose and process the export and import of cargo in a timely manner so that there would be no extra costs to the shipping companies and their consumers.
Accompanying Masing on his visit to KPA was Assistant Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development Datuk Julaihi Narawi. Welcoming them was KPA general manager Robert Lau.
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