KUCHING: Calling the acquisition of MASwings ‘slow or literally non-implementation’ is ignorant, says Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Women chief Kho Teck Wan.
She was defending the Sarawak government’s handling of the MASwings acquisition process following criticisms from Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
“The acquisition of MASwings has been publicly updated by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the Ministry of Transport Sarawak, and its minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin through numerous press statements and speeches over the past two years.
“Such information is publicly available. Should Chong have any question, he can also clarify with the relevant authorities and agencies,” she said in a statement on Friday (Sept 6).
She pointed out that in June 2023, a task force was established to ensure a smooth takeover of MASwings, and the public had been regularly informed about the timeline.
Kho argued that any concerns about the process could be clarified by reaching out to the relevant authorities, and due diligence is critical to ensure stakeholders’ money is used wisely.
“Such a significant purchase cannot be rushed, and no party should be pressured into hasty decisions due to statements made by Chong,” she added.
In response to Chong’s earlier criticism of chief political secretary to the Premier, Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman, Kho highlighted the latter’s role as the advisor to Sarawak Volunteers, an NGO facilitating the i-GPS initiative, which provides air ticket subsidies to Sarawakian students studying in West Malaysia and Labuan.
The i-GPS programme has been in place since the late Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s administration.
“Telling YB Fazzrudin to ‘keep quiet’ shows a lack of awareness regarding the i-GPS initiative and the assistance available to Sarawakians,” she said, adding that Fazzrudin was the right person to address Chong’s statements on the subsidy programme.
She also expressed her satisfaction that Miri MP Chiew Choon Man had committed to bringing up the rising air ticket prices in the next parliamentary session.
She further thanked Federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke for his decision to maintain the air ticket price cap at RM599 during festive seasons.
“This is great news for Sarawakians. Loke’s decision also prove that our claims are right that the issue of rising air ticket prices should be discussed with the authority who regulate the aviation industry, which is the Federal transports ministry,” she added.
