After Malindo joins Cathay waiver, will other airlines follow suit?

LETTER | The recent announcement by Cathay Pacific and Malindo Air on the waiver of rebooking fees in the event of 14th general election should be a celebration for the push of a better democracy.

Instead of receiving flak from Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan, this should be seen as a positive development for Malaysians that want to fulfil their democratic right to vote in the upcoming general election.

What remains to be seen now is whether Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia will follow suit? Or do they fear flak by BN leaders?

These two airlines have the highest volume of Malaysian passengers and waiving rebooking fees for flights booked on polling day would be really significant in ensuring maximum turnout for the election.

Apart from the aviation industry, it would also be significant if other transportation services – such as e-hailing services like Grab or bus companies – provide discounts on fares for interstate travel to enable Malaysians to head to their respective hometowns to cast their votes.

Airline companies also should provide discounted fares for voters from Sabah and Sarawak in order to maximise voter turnout.

It is hoped that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was recently proclaimed as the “Father of low cost air travel” will support positive efforts by various sectors to enable Malaysians to perform their democratic right, instead of making things more difficult for voters just for the sake of holding onto power.

It is the job of the government to ensure that maximum voter turnout is achieved in the coming general election, not the opposite.

MUHAMMAD SHAKIR AMEER MOHIDEEN is DAP Youth assistant national publicity secretary and a councillor for Shah Alam city council.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.