Passport Fee To Raise Again?

picture acknowledgement : the star online

I read in The Star the news about the mad rush to the Immigration Department in Beach Street, Penang following a report in a vernacular daily that the passport fee is going for a hike. OMG, the fee is going to be increased again? RM 300 too high for a passport valid for 5 years and the holder use it only a few times or might use it just for one time. For a frequent travellar such as businessman who need to travel abroad it is nothing. But for those who have the opportunity to travel abroad once in a blue moon, its a hefty sum to pay.

Why must the government increase the fee (if it is true). A passport is not a luxury item and hence must not cost so much. Give the opportunity to everybody to own a passport so that if they have the opportunity, let them see places so that people can be more open minded. With airfare(e.g. Airasia) costing mut much different than a bus fare, more people can afford to travel. So not only the well earned few of the population have the opportunity. Or maybe the government is not encouraging the people to travel abroad and see the actual world to compare with Malaysia. So we will just digest whatever good things the government say about Malaysia even though it is not that true.

Buletin 1.3o today aired the Immigration Chief denying that the passport fee is to be raised to RM500 and RM1000 respectively. According to him, Immigration Dept. has not received any directive from the Finance Ministry about the matter. Well. There's no smoke if there's no fire.