Locals feel that it is unfair to shift the blame of poor payments to Sabah rubber tappers to the state agencies when the federal government is involved.
The Agriculture and Food Industry Ministy has ordered a restructuring exercise for LIGS and KPD, following complaints by rubber tappers and farmers of delayed payment for their products despite the current robust market for the commodity.
Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Yahya Hussin yesterday confirmed reports in the local media that the state cabinet was worried about the unsatisfactory performance by the LIGS .
“Both the LIGS and KPD will undergo reshuffle once there is an approval from the head of state…because these appointments were made by the head of state.
“We are now arranging for the revamp. Once it is granted, we will swap the chairmen and boards of directors between the two agencies concerned,” said Yahya who is also Petagas assemblyman.
Confirming that the cabinet is not satisfied with the performance of LIGS, Yahya said LIGS must improve and provide better services after the restructuring exercise, especially in terms of payments to the rubber smallholders as well as other debt.
When asked about the problem of delay in payment to the smallholders, he said his ministry is trying to sort out the matter.
Federal agencies to blame
According to a source, the government is shaken by the “public relations disaster” after the issue of late payments to rubber tappers became public.
“They know that this would translate into an exodus of normal rural support for the government during any election.
“The government banks on these people to give them their votes during the election. How to guarantee that if they can’t even pay them for their products when the price of the commodity is high.
“It was a disaster when the news came out that the government could not pay the smallholders and rubber tappers,” said the source who declined to be named.
The source added that the government was now “shifting the blame to the agencies”.
“They are now shifting the blame to the agencies when actually the Finance Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry which are at fault, not the civil servants.
“Those two ministries should have known that there was no money to pay the farmers. that’s how government works. If the ministers don’t know, then they should step down.
“The prices of both palm oil and rubber are high now. it’s worldwide.”
“The smallholders are happy with the prices but the government cannot pay them in time so something must be wrong with the government administration,” the source said.
The desperation within government circles is such that they are bringing back retired LIGS general manager Harris Mathew to assume his old post as part of the restructuring.
Chief Minister Musa Aman, who is also the State Finance Minister, is said to be furious over the performance of LIGS bosses.
KPD was previously on the list of “ailing” agencies but now back in the black.
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