'Suggested Borneo states' civil aviation agency against international law'
Published on: Sunday, April 30, 2023
By:
FMT, Joel Shasitiran
High airfares and connectivity issues were among the concerns faced by East Malaysian travellers. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: A former transport official has suggested that a separate bureau for East Malaysia be set up in Malaysia’s civil aviation authority to regulate aviation matters in Sabah and Sarawak.
The former official, Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, and transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan said a proposal for a separate civil aviation authority for the two states would run afoul of international law.
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Wan Agyl, formerly with the Land Public Transport Commission, told FMT he agreed that Sabah and Sarawak should be represented in the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia to deal with aviation matters in the two states.
“A potential solution would be the establishment of a specialised branch, or bureau within CAAM, dedicated solely to the needs and concerns of East Malaysian travellers,” he said.
Rosli said an aviation authority must represent a country as a whole as it would be required to sign international protocols to administer aviation laws, rules, and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, an agency of the United Nations.
The proposal for a separate aviation authority for East Malaysia was raised on Tuesday by Sabah deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan. He said a Bornean aviation authority should be set up to regulate and safeguard the aviation industry in the two states.
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Rosli said there were no provisions in international aviation law for a state to establish its own civil aviation authority.
He suggested that regional CAAM offices be set up in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching instead.
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Wan Agyl said a separate CAAM branch or bureau for East Malaysia would help CAAM overcome problems such as high airfares, and to improve airport infrastructure in the region.
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