MAS’ Action Extending Cabotage Policy To Air–Route

By Rubbin Guribah

The Sabah Homestay community came in support of the Malaysian Association and Travel Agents (Matta) Sabah’s concerns over the MAS’ action to abandon Kota Kinabalu for the second time in recent times as its eastern hub for northeast Asia according to Rubbin Guribah, Coordinator of the Melangkap Homestay.

MAS’ action will seriously damage the Sabah homestay and tourism industry and affect the economic viability of many small and medium homestay operators.

It will reduce the number of tourist arrivals in Sabah and it will definitely hurt the Sabah tourism industry and hurt the homestay operators who rely the tourists arrivals.

The homestay programs have contributed to employment opportunities and improve living standards in the less urban areas and any downturn will result in lay-offs of the employees and cause financial constraints to many families.

MAS’ action runs contrary to the Government’s policy of encouraging homestay programs for the rural areas and will completely defeat the purpose of the policy.

“MAS’ action will also mean the extension of the current sea-route cabotage policy to the air-route” added Rubbin, who is also a United Borneo Front (UBF) State Coordinating Committee member and coordinator for Kadamaian.

“As it is, the sea cabotage has eroded the competitiveness of Sabah as an investment destination and loss of employment opportunities to the Peninsular and contributed to increased costs of goods and services and thereby increasing the costs of living in Sabah.”

“Sabah does not need an extension of the sea cabotoge to the sky” stressed Rubbin.

The closure of Kota Kinabalu as MAS’ eastern hub will also defeat the purpose of the “1-Malaysia” slogan and make Sabah more isolated and poorer.

The Federal Government should stop treating Sabah and Sarawak as “the other part of Malaysia” and should instead take more proactive steps to develop the Borneo States for a progressive Malaysia.

Sabah is already the poorest State in Malaysia with 40% of all poor in Malaysia and do not need policies which only make Sabahans poorer. Ironically, Sabah contributes about 27% of Malaysia’s oil and gas production and about 35% of the nation’s palm oil production.

The State Government should be ashamed of Sabah’s status as the poorest plight and the unfair treatment of Sabah by the Peninsular leaders and take proactive steps to help the Sabah homestay community remain in business including taking the option of converting Sabah Air into a regional airline.