KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has expressed hope that more airline companies will reduce their airfares to allow Sarawakian outside the state to return to vote during the 15th General Election (GE15).
By reducing the airfares, he said, this is so that the people outside their home state could return to vote.
“I have heard that Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is offering discounts to those who want to return to vote.
“I welcome such a move, and I hope more airline companies, if possible, provide much cheaper airfares so that people can go back to exercise their responsibility as voters,” he told reporters when met.
He was responding to the questions on the high airfares during the election period after chairing the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Petra Jaya Branch GE15 preparation at PBB Headquarters today.
When asked about Sarawakian students studying in Peninsula Malaysia who request the state government to provide subsidies in airfares to return to their home state to vote, the Petra Jaya incumbent said the government is unable to provide allocation for voters to home to cast their vote and it will become an issue.
“This is because in terms of legislation, we are not allowed to provide such allocation to voters. Unless there is someone who wants to sponsor, then it is up to them.
“For example, I’ve seen on social media that a Methodist Church is encouraging voters to come back to vote and hence they are offering assistance to purchase the airfares.
“However, I am not quite sure whether this is allowed or not. But there are some others who offered to help our students to return and vote,” he said.
Nevertheless, he commended the efforts made by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) for coming out with such initiatives to help Sarawakian students to come back to vote.
Meanwhile, checks by New Sarawak Tribune as of Oct 21 at 5.30pm on Air Asia’s mobile application saw that return flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching from Nov 18 to 20 are priced between RM400 to RM500.
Whereas, checks on MAS’s mobile application, the return flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching from Nov 18 to 20 is priced at over RM700.
