‘Can’t wait to go back home’: Malaysians in S’pore look forward to CNY reunion despite high costs
It has been three years since Malaysian Ng Chian Chian returned to her home town in Kedah for Chinese New Year.
That is why the 26-year-old nurse will be spending an extended time – from Jan 19 to Feb 5, 2023 – in Malaysia, even though she had returned home thrice via the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) since the scheme started in November 2021.
“I can’t wait to go back home,” said Ms Ng, who is also a Singapore permanent resident.
She is one of several Malaysians The Straits Times spoke to who are based in Singapore and will be returning home for the festival, which falls on Jan 22 and 23.
Besides meeting her extended family and friends in person again, Ms Ng, her parents and four siblings will take a formal family portrait in a photo studio.
Her two elder sisters still live in Malaysia, while her two younger sisters, who are working in Singapore, will fly home for the reunion.
“We have never taken a formal family portrait before, so we decided to do it next year because all seven of us will finally be back home in Malaysia again,” said Ms Ng.
For the past two years, Ms Ng celebrated Chinese New Year virtually with her family because of border closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her parents and Malaysia-based sisters flew to Singapore in 2020 to celebrate the holidays with Ms Ng and her two other sisters.
For cargo driver Ming, the impending return to his home town in Kuala Lumpur for the festival will be an emotional one.
The 36-year-old, who has been working in Singapore for at least five years, lost his father to Covid-19 complications in August 2020.
He did not return home due to border closures. The upcoming celebration will be his first in three years.
“But to be back home and spending a joyous moment without him (his father), it will take some getting used to,” said Mr Ming, who declined to give his full name.
The journey home does not come cheap for these Malaysians as transport operators such as airlines, bus companies and car shuttles have increased their prices for trips during the week before Chinese New Year.
Some have attributed the increase to various factors, such as incurring additional operating costs during the festive season and higher fuel costs.
Pharmacist Wendy Ng paid a premium for her upcoming trip back to Penang from Jan 21 to Feb 1.
The 37-year-old Singapore permanent resident booked her return flight in September and paid about $730, compared with $387 for her previous trip from Jan 21 to Feb 13, 2022, via the VTL.
“For me, spending Chinese New Year with my parents is pretty important. So I will find ways to go back, no matter how crazy the airfares are,” she said.
Ms Ng Chian Chian’s pre-Chinese New Year flights cost her $700, a steep increase from the $100 she spent on air tickets when she last returned home in October.
“The airfares shot up by a lot. But you can’t put a price on family,” she said.
- Additional reporting by Fatimah Mujibah
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