KUALA LUMPUR: Once again Putrajaya has been urged to reconsider reviving the Feri Malaysia service which operated from 1986 until 1989.
Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim said the ferry service once connected Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Kuantan.
In the past, there had been several appeals to the federal government to revive the ferry service between Malaya and the East Malaysia states.
“Perhaps it could connect Kuching and Johor Bahru or Kuala Lumpur and Kuching as the initial routes for the revived service before expanding to other locations (because now we have the new Trans Borneo Highway connecting Kuching and Kota Kinabalu).
“This ferry service can be an alternative to air transport and we can also promote the beauty of our country. There are also many private ferry or cruise services that take passengers to Singapore or Thailand.
“It is time for the government to call on operators or private companies to revive this service,” he said when debating on the 2024 Royal Address in Dewan Negara yesterday (Mar 18).
On another issue, Ahmad said enforcement agencies should monitor illicit begging activities at Ramadan bazaars throughout the country.
“Because I understand that foreigners like Rohingya holding United Nation high Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards often engage in such activities.
“Enforcement officers from the Immigration Department of Malaysia, Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and other local authorities need to be deployed to monitor foreign beggars whom we do not know whether they have overstayed in the country or not.
“The authorities must be firm in tackling the problem,” he added.