Labuan durian blunder by dept
Published on: Friday, September 23, 2016
Labuan: The Quarantine Inspection Services (Maquis) office here said it will not impose import/export permit requirements for durians and other agricultural products consigned to Labuan from Sabah and Sarawak despite a circular from the Agriculture Department.Apparently, it has no authority under the Maquis Act to do so.A senior officer of the office, Mazrul Azman bin Mat Rahim, clarified that the agency, though under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based industries, was only supposed to inspect import/export activities from Malaysia to overseas countries, and vice-versa.
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The requirement for import permits for durians, plants, fish and other products consigned to the island from Sabah/ Sarawak was not under the ambit of its authority.The officer said this in response to a delegation from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce led by its Chairman Datuk Wong Kii Yii and Ketua Kampong Seah Kiat Leong, who delivered Labuan's protest over the move.A circular issued by the Agriculture Department's headquarters had indicated the requirement and stated that the entry point for the named products would be via Maquis and the agency would be responsible for inspection and clearance of the goods.Apart from durians, other items under the permit list were chilli, sireh, coconuts, bananas, mangoes, citrus fruits and guava.
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The new rule triggered an outcry here saying it was ridiculous that Labuan folks, although in Malaysia, are unable to enjoy Malaysian fruits under the same terms as in other Malaysian states. They said they had been enjoying the fruits from Sabah and Sarawak for years without problem.
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Wong welcomed the assurance and hoped the Department would not find another way to impose the import/export condition. "It looks like the department had made a mistake in proposing to introduce the regulation," said Wong.He said Labuan had often been described as a privileged island because of its special position as a free port. "What is so privileged about Labuan if every now and then new rules are applied to our daily lives?" He recalled that when Labuan was federalised in 1984 there was much opposition to the island due to fears that the rights of local folks would be slowly taken away but assurance were given that nothing would be changed in Labuan even when the island is under Federal rule. "But now slowly they are changing with new agencies established in Labuan such as IWK, Registration of Business (ROB) offices and latest the Customs attempt at meddling with the island's free port status."He said Labuan people feel they are becoming whipping boys for nothing. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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