KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — The agony of staying away from the family for a long period of time is the main reason why Malaysians are not keen to join the shipping and port industry despite the lucrative salary offer.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said as such, the port and logistics sector had to rely on foreign labour.
"Not many Malaysians are interested (in working in the shipping and port sector) because they have to leave their homes and families for months to work on ships, which is one of the factors for shunning the sector.
"However, we encourage any party who can bring or encourage locals to venture into the shipping sector," he said when winding up the committee-level debate on the Supply Bill 2024 (Budget 2024) for the ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Apart from that, the government does not intend to put a price ceiling on the sale of air tickets but will implement selective intervention methods such as encouraging airlines to increase capacity until late at night during festive seasons.
"Implementing a price ceiling will demotivate airlines who will probably cut capacity, and maybe the cheaper prices usually offered during non-peak hours will be higher," Loke said.
Meanwhile, the redevelopment of Subang Airport as a city airport is not intended to replace the function of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as the country's main gateway for larger-capacity international flights.
He said that Subang Airport has a certain capacity with the type of aircraft allowed being limited besides making it a maintenance, repair and overhaul hub.
Regarding the sale of the special vehicle registration numbers, Loke said the Finance Ministry has agreed that 50 per cent of the sale proceeds be returned to the Transport Ministry to implement initiatives for the people next year.
— Bernama
