KUCHING, Nov 14 — The Sarawak caretaker administration is cautious about proposals for state-owned carrier AirBorneo Airways Sdn Bhd (AirBorneo) to offer special airfare discounts to voters travelling home for the 13th Sarawak Election, warning that such incentives could be misconstrued as electoral bribery.
Caretaker Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said that while the administration was open to facilitating travel for Sarawakians, any fare reductions must comply with election laws and avoid giving rise to allegations of vote-buying.
“You see, if you give them a special discount, people can interpret it as a certain incentive.
“We have to look at the legal definition,” he told reporters after officiating at the send-off ceremony for AirBorneo’s inaugural Kuching-Jakarta flight at the Kuching International Airport yesterday.
