High air fares may keep Sarawakians away

PETALING JAYA: With Sarawak going to the polls just a week before Christmas, it seems like a perfect time for Sarawakians living elsewhere to return to cast their ballots and also visit their loved ones.

But this will more than likely not be the case – no thanks to high fares for flights in December between the peninsula and the Land of the Hornbills, with a return journey now priced at a minimum of RM1,200 on almost all airlines.

Pre-pandemic flight tickets for the route were priced between RM200 and RM400.

Many Sarawakians living and working in the peninsula are dismayed with the off-putting flight prices and have declared that they would not be able to return to vote.

Leah Abigail Ricky Guing, 29, had initially planned to return to Kuching to celebrate Christmas.

On hearing news of the Dec 18 polling day, she thought it would be a great opportunity to travel back earlier to cast her ballot and stay back to celebrate Christmas too.

“I checked the flights and I was shocked to see how expensive it is. It’s more than RM1k one-way, which is absurd.

“The total costs would be out of our reach as I would be travelling with my husband and child,” said Leah, who works as an assistant manager in Selangor.

Mirian Jon Neal Watson said that he could not believe his eyes when he had checked the price for a Kuala Lumpur-Miri return flight just for the weekend of polling day: RM2,800.

“I will surely not go back if that is how much airfares cost.

“But I will be a disappointed Sarawakian for not being able to fulfil my right to vote, all because of high air fares,” he added.

Zul Salleh, a director based in Kuala Lumpur, had to fork out about RM1,500 to be able to return to Kuching for the election.

“I am disappointed that Sarawakians always have to struggle to pay high air ticket prices during festive seasons, and now for the election as well.

“I am grateful that I am able to, but there are so many of my fellow Sarawakians who cannot return to exercise their rights as voters, even though the election happens only once in five years,” said the 31-year-old.

The expensive flight price issue was also highlighted by Sarawakian musician Alena Murang on her Instagram recently.

She mocked it by remarking “that we might as well be flying to London”.