GE15: Sabah students worry about absurd flight tickets' price

KOTA KINABALU - Higher learning institution (IPT) students who expect to use the five days leave granted to return home and vote in the 15th General Election (GE15) can only dream of doing so following the high flight ticket prices at the time.

Sabah Muslim Student Headquarters (Marsis) President for the 2021/2023 session Mohd Shahrul Izzat Basri and the Sabah Malaysian Islamic Student Coalition (Gamis) Deputy Chairman for the 2022/2023 session Mohd Faizal Kambah thanked the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) that agreed to give the leaves for students to return home to perform their responsibilities as voters.

"However, there were a few disappointments as the pricing of flights to Sabah is still an absurd price.

"This is among the worries towards students when they couldn't return home to perform their responsibilities as voters," they said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement said the issuance of expensive flight tickets to Sabah was not the only new issue, but it is a recurring issue brought up each year.

"This issue is because there is still no concrete and planned solutions are taken, especially by the Sabah government which is considered as 'having everything go past them'.

"Previously, Marsis had released a statement regarding the issue that flights to Borneo were expensive during the festive seasons which burdened the students to return home and celebrate Eid.

"The matter should be a concern for the MoHE, Transport Ministry, Special Duties Minister and Chief Minister because of the worries towards the Sabah students who can vote but are unable to return and vote," he said.

The statement also voiced the other worries they had that the MoHE's main objective of giving the leave to give birth to a generation concerned with the country's administration and increase awareness about the importance of voting not to be achieved.

"Marsis and Gamis had given a big consideration with the worries that exist as well as hopes there would be an agreement and discussion that is focused with the airline companies specifically to solve the issue of absurd flight prices so that the student's responsibilities as voters could be carried out," he said.

Previously the MoHE agreed to give the leave of five days starting Nov 17 to Nov 21 for students to return home and perform their duties as a voter in GE15.