By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, March 18: Sarawakian Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim has proposed that the Feri Malaysia service that connects Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Kuantan be revived.
He said the ferry service connecting the three main cities existed from 1986 to 1989.
“I hope that the federal government can reassess the appropriateness of reviving this ferry service.
“It may be possible to connect Kuching-Johor Bahru or Kuala Lumpur-Kuching as a pilot service of Feri Malaysia before expanding it to other places because now, for Kuching-Kota Kinabalu, we can use our new Trans Borneo Highway.
“This ferry service can be used as an alternative to air transport,” he said when debating the 2024 Royal Address in Dewan Negara, which was broadcast live through the Malaysian Parliament’s YouTube channel today.
He also said the ferry service would promote the country’s beauty and tourism industry in general.
“There are also many private or cruise ferry services that take passengers to Singapore or Thailand. It is high time that the government calls on any operator or private company to cooperate in bringing this service back to life,” he added.
Additionally, he called on the Federal government to give an update on the discussion status regarding the construction of the Sarawak Cancer Centre.
He said the project implementation should be expedited to facilitate the increasing number of cancer patients in Sarawak and Sabah.
“In Sarawak, there are three types of cancer that are most often detected involving respiratory tract cancer, including lung cancer with 14.3 per cent, nasopharynx or nasal bridge cancer (13.9 per cent) and colorectal cancer (12.7 per cent).
“Meanwhile, for women, the highest cancer is breast cancer at 20.9 per cent, followed by cervical cancer (12.6 per cent) and colorectal cancer (9.5 per cent). — DayakDaily
