PKR Sabah condemns flip-flop decision on disruption and resumption of BOEING aircrafts servicing Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan and also condemns the cancellation of direct flights from Sandakan to Kuala Lumpur by MAS.
Since the announcement by the BN government on the merger between MAS and AIRASIA back in August 2011, flight services to Sabah have been severely affected.
The victims are obviously Sabahans, business investors and tourists who wished to trade and visit the state of Sabah especially those travelling to Sandakan. Dr Roland Chia, PKR Supreme Council Member and PKR Sabah Secretary disclosed today.
The recent 48-hour flip-flop decision on the discontinuation of the BOEING aircraft to service Kota Kinabalu/Sandakan routes does not augur well with the community in Sandakan.
On 4th December 2011, it was reported that MAS will discontinue using the Boeing aircraft. This was followed by a U-turn 48 hours later on the 6th December 2011 on the resumption of the BOEING services to Sandakan.
On the other issue, Sandakan being the third largest airport in Sabah used to enjoy flights from Kuala Lumpur and return with MAS, FireFly and Air Asia, now the imminent cancellation of Kuala Lumpur–Sandakan flights by MAS will have a negative impact on Sandakan. This does not augur well with the slogan 1Malaysia for the sake of national intergration.
Sandakan being the second largest town in Sabah not only suffers from daily power disruptions NOW suffers from flights disruption. Sandakan can be prideful of having several VVIP that hails from that town and whose constituencies that some Ybs represent-the present Chief Minister of Sabah, the present Sabah MCA Liason Chief, the President of LDP who is also the MP for Sandakan, yet despite of their representation in Sabah, these flip-flop & unhealthy decision happened. This shows that the BN government has no respect for their own Sabah BN leaders. Obviously, the Sabah BN leaders were not consulted on this matter, so much for consultation per say.
To further add salt into injury, the present Federal Deputy Minister of Transport Ministry is a Sabahan who himself also failed to get landing rights for his area in Kudat. In addition to the MCA Sabah Chief who has direct communication with the Minister of Transport, who is also the MCA National Secretary General.
PKR Sabah received many complaints from the travel & business industry with regards to these decisions. This does not augur well with noble intention of turning Sandakan into a educational hub, a tourism hub, where the Sepilok Orang Utan sanctuary is sited.
Sandakan and its surrounding areas also produced more than 30% of crude palm oil from Sabah which the State Government collects more than RM1 Billion of palm oil cess/tax of which 30% comes from Sandakan. This does not augur well with the slogan ‘Rakyat Diutamakan, Pencapaian Didahulukan’.
What the parties are concerned is the saving of RM1 Billion Ringgit to their own pockets at the expense of the Rakyat of Sandakan, Sabah.
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