Isu tiket mahal: Pemimpin PAS Sabah kemuka cadangan

PAS Sabah leader Mustaman Mustain has proposed several government initiatives to address the skyrocketing cost of air travel to East Malaysia, with the hope of alleviating the burden on low-income families. Air travel has become a necessity for the people of Sabah, especially for those with low incomes who need to travel for work, education, and emergencies.

Mustain pointed out that high ticket prices have forced families to cancel trips due to exorbitant fares, causing distress among students who cannot return to their respective universities. He emphasized that the issue of expensive air travel has a direct impact on people's lives, citing a recent surge in ticket prices by over 200% between East Malaysia and the Peninsula.

Mustain also suggested expanding the winter holiday travel subsidy to other peak times, such as school and semester breaks, as well as establishing a special quota for discounted flights on key routes during peak periods, including Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Tawau. He further proposed the creation of a system to monitor unusual and sudden price increases in airfares, enabling the government to take prompt action.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister and Sabah-Sarawak Affairs Minister Mustapha Sakmud stated that the ministry will discuss potential solutions with the Transport Ministry to address the airfare surge involving the two states. The issue is attributed to the increased operational costs of airlines due to the global energy crisis.