KUALA LUMPUR – Although the toll fee waiver during Hari Raya is a welcome move, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has urged the government to consider subsidising airfares for those travelling back to Sabah and Sarawak.
The RM93-million toll subsidy should also benefit East Malaysians in some way as airfares are beyond their reach, he said.
“They (people of Sabah and Sarawak) benefit less from this announcement (toll fee waiver),” he said in the video he posted on his social media accounts today.
“The ticket fares are like (travelling to) Australia,” he said as he brought up the incident of a girl who had to pay more than RM600 to fly back to Kota Kinabalu.
The Muda president said the people of Sabah and Sarawak should enjoy the RM93 million subsidy just like those in the peninsula.
Syed Saddiq also brought up the issue of the flight ticket credit fund initiative for students travelling between the peninsula and East Malaysia.
“Help them to be with their families. They are always the one suffering during (the) festive seasons.”
He said a long-term solution is necessary to resolve the issue of pricey airfares for Sabahans and Sarawakians.
Yesterday, Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the toll waiver cost the government RM93 million, and is applicable on 33 highways and for all vehicle classes. – The Vibes, April 20, 2023
