PUTRAJAYA’s RM93 million subsidy to introduce free toll for four days during the Raya weekend does not benefit the people of Sabah and Sarawak, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said.

“The fact is almost all, if not all, of those (who benefit from the move) are in Peninsular Malaysia, and the total cost of the subsidy is about RM93 million.

“When the announcement was made, many Sabahans and Sarawakians shared their concern,” he was reported as saying in Borneo Post Online.

The Muda chief said the government should have helped Sabahans and Sarawakians with some other form of subsidy.

One such way, he said, could have been by reducing airfare so people from Sabah and Sarawak working in the peninsula could have gone home for Raya. 

“This is especially for those from low-income families.

“These are students … or those who come from B40 and middle-class families who only can fly back once or twice a year,” he said.

He said the surge in airfare should be addressed because people from Sabah and Sarawak are highly dependent on air travel.

Apart from airfare subsidies, Syed Saddiq said a comprehensive solution is needed for a ceiling price for flight tickets during festive seasons.

He urged Putrajaya to discuss the issue with airlines to find a long-term solution that can be tailored to their services and exclusive routes.

The federal government lifted all toll charges on the country’s highways for four days (April 19, 20, 21 and 24) to ease the financial burden of millions of Malaysians returning to their hometowns for Raya. – April 24, 2023.