KUCHING: Kho Teck Wan, a political secretary to the Premier is curious as to why Stampin MP Chong Chien Jen decided to ask the state government to address rising flight ticket prices.
“Chong knows rightly that the authority to regulate and govern the transport industries which includes aviation is under the purview of the federal Transport Ministry (MOT).
“As a senior MP and having the privilege of being given the mandate by the people of Bandar Kuching and then Stampin over the last 20 years, I am curious as to how many times Chong brought concerns over rising air ticket prices to parliament?,” she said in a statement
Kho also asked why Chong chose to urge the state government instead of discussing the issue with the Minister Anthony Loke who is also the Democratic Action Party (DAP) Secretary General.
“The state government through the Initiatif Graduan Pulang Sarawak (i-GPS) programme provides air ticket subsidy twice a year to full time IPTA and IPTS students.
“The purchase of MASwings which is in progress is another effort by the Sarawak GPS government to address the rising air ticket cost.
“I therefore hope that instead of pushing the issue to the GPS government and doing lip service in the press, Chong address the issue of rising ticket prices with real actions. Together we help solve Sarawakians’ air ticket prices issue,” she added.
Recently, Chong had urged the state government to be transparent about its airline acquisition process and provide Sarawakians with an estimated timeline for its completion.
He pointed out that Sarawakians are facing high ticket prices for flights between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, exacerbated by Malaysia Airlines’ reduced fleet due to technical safety issues.
