LABUAN: The Labuan Consumer Movement Council has urged the ferry operators here to improve their services.
Its chairperson, Hjh Fauziah Datuk Mohd Din, said she had received several complaints from the public about alleged poor services provided by a roll on/roll off (roro) ferry here.
“The other roro ferry operators should follow the system practised by Labuan Ferry Corporation Sdn Bhd where it is more systemic, with passengers’ data recorded in computers.
“Those who bought ferry tickets earlier are treated as it should be and their rights should not be denied,” she said after witnessing the handing over funds from the Bazaar Micro-i Financing Scheme to the recipients here on Tuesday.
Fauziah said other complaints were ferry operators would normally give priority to lorries rather than to normal vehicles.
“It is unfair to those who have purchased tickets earlier but are denied when they go to the ferry terminal. This kind of thing must be looked into seriously. There should be no discrimination and consumer rights must be prioritized,” she said, adding that another complaint was that there were no seats provided by a certain roro ferry.
She said there should be one seat for each passenger.
“The sea journey between Labuan and Menumbok on the roro ferry is about an hour or two. It must be hard for the elderly and the children if there are no seats provided by the ferry operator.
“The treatment by the ferry crew to the passengers must also be enhanced by giving attention to their comfort. Other facilities such as air-conditioning should also be given attention,” she said.
Fauziah also disclosed that a speedboat laden with passengers is believed to have stranded near Papan Island due to a leakage while on its journey from Menumbok to Labuan, on Monday.
She claimed that among the passengers in the speedboat were her staff.
“A case like this could hardly be traced by the authority. After the boat was stranded at Papan Island, another speedboat came to rescue the passengers. It was lucky that the speedboat managed to reach the nearby island and no fatality occurred.
“A case like this should serve as an eye-opener to all of us. The speedboat that is used for sea transportation must be upgraded, including by providing secure life jackets and not overloaded with passengers.
“There might have been similar cases before but were not reported,” she said, urging the Ports and Harbour Department to monitor such cases.
Meanwhile, Fauziah disclosed that in an earlier meeting with the authorities here, the authorities wanted Labuan Corporation (LC) to set up a committee to study the rising cost of living in Labuan.
“We found that the cost of living here is much higher compared to other cities, and a study led by LC must be done.
“We also discussed the RM17 million subsidy per year given to lorry operators. The subsidy did not contribute in lowering the prices of goods here as prices keep on rising
“Another discussion was about Labuan Hospital where we need specialists. What we are experiencing right now is that we still depend on medical services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu. Our hospital’s standard of service should be on par with government hospitals in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya,” she said, adding that the government must look into this matter seriously.