KOTA KINABALU: The state government needs to act immediately to resolve road, water supply, and electricity problems instead of being preoccupied with the planning to establish a new commercial airline in the state.
In making the call, Sabah UMNO Elections Director Jeffrey Nor Mohamed questioned if the importance of Sabah having its own airline company should take precedence over the infrastructure problem.
“I think this proposal is good, but the time is not right. Should owning your own airline be prioritised over the repair of Sabah’s infrastructure?
“It must be kept in mind that the Sabah people are currently dealing with a serious and inadequate water and energy supply that does not satisfy the demand of the population throughout the state of Sabah.
“I also want to question the justification for us to launch our own airline in the near future,” he said in a statement here today.
He was referring to the statement of Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd (SAASB) Chairman Kenny Chua who stated that Sabah should have its own airline by 2024.
Jeffrey Nor, who is also Putatan UMNO chief, questioned whether the proposal was a reaction to Sarawak, which also wants to start its own airline.
He cited the Sarawak government’s current effort to take over Maswing operations instead of establishing a new airline.
“This means that this new business will be the owner of Maswing’s assets, including the right to use the airport where Maswing’s operations are now permitted.
“Sabah should start from scratch if it wants to establish a new business. This includes carefully arranging the structure of the plan and business capital to create the new company later,” he said, stressing the need to address first the pressing problems facing the people of Sabah.
