Give airfare subsidies to Sarawakians returning to vote, Voon tells GPS govt

Passengers lining up at the Immigration counters upon their arrival at Kuching International Airport (KIA).

KUCHING (Oct 21): The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has been asked to give airfare subsidies to Sarawakians returning to vote next month.

In making the call, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan said this is necessary to address the issue of the spike in airfare prices around polling day on Nov 19.

“GPS government should subsidise the airfares for those who want to come back from the Peninsular, Sabah, and Singapore so that they could come back to vote. This is also a session to allow them to meet their families especially when Christmas is around the corner,” he said in a statement today.

“I was very disappointed when the Deputy Premier Datuk Seri (sic) Dr Sim Kui Hian, when asked to respond to the airfare hike, said, ‘What can we do, we can tengok saja (look only). So, I don’t know, I mean this is a private entity unless the Sarawak government starts our own airlines’.”

According to Voon, the GPS government should have sufficient funds to help those wishing to return to vote in the state.

“GPS government should have plans and ideas to overcome this to ensure that Sarawakians could come back to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

“There is no reason that the government should not subsidise the airfares when the Premier said Sarawak has lots of money. ‘Kita ada duit’,” he claimed.

According to him, giving out subsidies would also encourage a higher voter turnout on polling day.

“Without voters outside Sarawak and overseas able to come back for these elections, voter turnout would be low.

“Democracy should not work that way if this country wants foreigners to have confidence to invest here,” he added.

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