Pulau aur: Residents of Pulau Aur are calling on the Johor government to introduce a boat fare subsidy to ease travel costs, especially for medical needs and family visits. Currently, a return trip to the mainland costs up to RM210 per person, a heavy burden for many in the B40 income group, according to housewife Hatasa Rabudin, 40.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hatasa Rabudin shared her challenges during a media visit to the island. She rarely visits her parents in Kampung Teluk Berhala due to the high cost of the boat fare, which is RM105 one way. In 2018, Hatasa and her relatives pooled RM7,000 to charter a ferry home for Hari Raya. Her chronically ill father requires travel to Mersing twice a month for treatment, as more serious medical cases need referral to the mainland despite the presence of a village clinic on the island. Hatasa urged the state to consider a subsidy similar to Pahang's initiative for Pulau Tioman residents.

Long-time Mersing resident Masli Sulaiman, 56, expressed that deteriorating infrastructure has made boat travel the only option even between nearby villages. A land route to the jetty has become overgrown, and the main bridge is damaged. She emphasized that a subsidy would assist in emergencies and allow more frequent visits to elderly relatives.

Village Development and Security Committee (JPKK) chairman Sabinah Md Seth highlighted that most locals are fishermen or small-scale farmers without stable income. Even a partial subsidy would ease their burden. Pulau Aur is located 76 kilometres from the mainland and is a popular ecotourism destination. Recently, from July 18-20, 50 Johor Corporation (JCorp) volunteers and six media representatives participated in a coral reef rehabilitation programme on the island.