Deputy minister Datuk Nur Jalan’s statement criticizing Cathay Pacific is an absolutely absurd. He should instead be praising Cathay Pacific for their kindness in waiving rebooking fees for civic minded Malaysians desiring to change their travel plans to cast their vote.
This clearly shows the desire by UMNO to suppress voter turnout. The accusations that Cathay Pacific is in the business of regime change is also absurd, as nowhere did Cathay Pacific indicate that this offer is only for opposition supporters. Nor did Cathay Pacific say anything at all to encourage Malaysians to vote one way or the other.
What Nur Jazlan should be doing instead is to encourage other airlines, especially AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines to follow suit, in the pursuit of promoting participation in democracy.
Nur Jazlan should also realize that the system in Malaysia, unlike countries like the UK, does not have fixed election dates. This complicates lives for all Malaysians who travel for work, family and other reasons.
The least we can do for Malaysians caught in a bind is to praise offers such as what Cathay Pacific made.