State Government Should Take Over MASWings, Says Serembu Assemblyman

25th Nov 2016

During a debate on State Budget 2017, held on Thursday at the State Legislative Assembly, Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh suggested that the state government ought to take control of MASWings operations as well as put the airline under a state govt-linked company (GLC).

The Move Would Allow Sarawak to Have its Own State Airline

This, according to Miro, would allow Sarawak to have its own state carrier.

Miro said:

I have been made to understand that not even one out of ten aircraft that operate under MASWings belongs to the company and I do not believe that most of us in this august House don’t know about it. Those aircraft operating under MASWings are rented from the Ministry of Transport and are paid under RAS (Rural Air Service) subsidy from the federal government.

He also asked:

 Why can’t MASWings have its own aircraft to give better service to Sarawak people instead of depending on the Ministry of Transport to supply them the aircraft?

The state assemblyman also said that, for this to happen (MASWings becoming a state airline) the carrier would need to start offering better service and also expand its network into Southeast Asia.

He also said MASWings has had a number of delays and canceled flights and has received a number of complaints from customers. Speaking about this, Miro said it is counter-productive and does not allow an easy movement of people and goods between the cities and towns in the state of Sarawak and is undermining both business communion and the tourism industry.

During the assembly, Miro also prompted the state govt to upgrade the Bau Road to a double-lane carriageway, with two lines up and two lanes down, saying it has become a busy route and is commonly used by heavily-loaded trucks and other vehicles.

Miro said the following about this:

The road is not only narrow but also curvy and uneven that it has become very dangerous to road users. Accidents happened along the road almost every week with some even leading to fatalities. In view of the increasing number of motorists using the old Bau Road, I’m appealing to the state government to upgrade the road given this road is listed as state road.

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