Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific issued a press release earlier this week telling their Malaysian ticket holders that in anticipation of the upcoming Malaysian 14th General Election — which still has no date — re-booking and re-routing charges will be waived for all tickets issued in the country if the date of travel falls on Election Day.
With no date yet announced for the polls, many would-be travelers have been left in limbo, eager to exercise their democratic right to vote but uncertain how potential travel plans might affect their ability to do so. So solid move by Cathay Pacific, right? Apparently not to everyone.
Malaysian Deputy Minister Nur Jazlan bin Tan Sri Mohamed yesterday took to Twitter to describe Cathay’s policy as not simply a “good marketing move” but to suggest that the Hong Kong-based airline has a vested interest in “regime change” as “part of their business plan.”
Maybe someone should explain to the Johor Member of Parliament that in a democracy, the vote is a representation of the will of the people. In a democratic society, we can only hope that every citizen who is legally entitled to vote comes to the poll that day, to best reflect who the majority wants in office.
We would have to wonder why he thinks a few plane loads of Cathay Pacific passengers are not only not going to vote for his party, the current UMNO government, but could actually swing the entire election.
How close are you thinking this election is gonna be, buddy?
