MIRI – Fares for flights between Kuching and Miri can reach a shocking RM800 per passenger for just one way during last-minute bookings in peak season, leading to many of those from Miri working in Kuching not being able to return to polling stations in their hometown on November 19.
The Society for Rights of Indigenous Peoples of Sarawak is worried that unless airfares within Sarawak are reduced, voters living outside may not be able to return home to vote.
Its northern Sarawak committee member Michael Ding, who is a social activist from the minority Lakiput community, told The Vibes today that airfares within Sarawak can reach very unreasonable levels.
“The relevant authorities and political parties have been talking about the need to reduce fares for flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak to enable Sarawakians over there to come back to this state to vote,” he said.
“While they are correct in making a big fuss about the high peninsula-East Malaysia airfares, they seem to have forgotten about the costs of airfares within Sarawak that can be very expensive too.
“Sarawak is as big as the whole of Peninsular Malaysia. The only swift way of travel between the major hubs of Kuching, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Limbang, Lawas and others is by flight due to the long distances.
“I was in Kuching recently for medical reasons and had to take a last-minute flight back to Miri for urgent reasons.
“The airfares for the various categories of seats from Kuching to Miri then were between RM600 to RM800 per way!”
Ding said that feedback from airline staff was that the cheaper seats were fully booked long before, and so he could only get seats that were costly.
The community elder from Kg Kuala Tutoh in Baram district called on political parties and the state government to look into the airfares within Sarawak, and not just external flights.
Alternatively, the Election Commission (EC) should accord the flexibility of postal voting rights to Sarawakians working outside of their home-polling districts, said Ding.
“Right now, Sarawakians living in outstation are not accorded the rights of postal voters,” he pointed out.
Sarawak PKR has taken the EC to task on this matter.
The continuous failure to allow the outstation Sarawakians to register as postal voters is frustrating, said Sarawak PKR chairman Roland Engan.
He told reporters in Miri recently that the state PKR chapter wants the Gabungan Parti Sarawak leaders to pressure the EC over this issue. – The Vibes, October 28, 2022
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