JOHOR BARU: After a muted Christmas celebration last year, Sarawakian Josephine Jimbai and her family are looking forward to her parents flying in from Kapit.
Since Josephine and her siblings moved to Johor more than 20 years ago, their parents have been living alone in their hometown.
“We decided to put our parents on a flight to Johor on Dec 23 as it is much more affordable than for us to fly home to Sarawak,” said Josephine, who is also Pasar Borneo Trader Association president.
This will not be the first time that her parents are celebrating Christmas in Johor as flight tickets to Sarawak during the festive season are usually priced at over RM500 per person.
“The cost for me, my husband, and our four children to buy those flight tickets would be a burden, so I decided that it’s better for my parents to come here instead,” she said.
Josephine is planning to bring her parents to Melaka together with 30 of their friends and family members who will not be able to make it home this year due to high airfares.
Her parents will be staying for a week before flying to Kota Kinabalu to be with her other siblings, and then back to Kapit.
“I urge the new government to look into the high prices for flight tickets and find a long-term solution for Sabahans and Sarawakians working and living in the peninsula,” she said.
Johor Anak Sarawak Welfare Association president Muhammad Danish Sangkan Jantom said it would be organising house-to-house visits for Sarawakians celebrating Christmas in the state.
“This is one of our annual programmes. We collect donations from our members to be distributed to every Sarawakian family, especially those who are elderly, single mothers, or have disabilities.
“Now that we have a representative in the government with a higher position, we hope that the welfare and other issues relating to Sabahans and Sarawakians in the peninsula can be addressed.”
