JOHOR BARU: The idea of having a single border agency to secure Malaysia’s border is about to be realised after being mooted in 2018, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“We are now in the final stages of discussions towards translating the idea of setting up a single border agency.
“Border regulation involves many agencies, and if we manage to establish a single border agency, it will be the correct direction for us to implement improvements to the national border control,” he said after chairing the Causeway congestion coordination committee meeting at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration, Quarantine (CIQ) complex here yesterday.
Saifuddin added the initiative involves uniting more than 20 agencies, other than the Immigration Department, the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) and the Customs Department.
“We will be adopting best practices from several countries that have a single border agency such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore,” he said.
Saifuddin said setting up an integrated security agency had been done before, when the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) was created to secure the country’s maritime borders.
“When MMEA was established, it involved nine different agencies, including the Navy and the Fisheries Department. All the agencies have gone through the process to become a single agency.
“MMEA’s establishment proved to be the right decision because our maritime borders are more controlled, if measured according to maritime crime figures.
“This is why we will create a single agency, but there must be an Act that regulates all of that,” he said.
The government had on July 30, 2021, decided to establish a single border agency for the country checkpoints, including ports, following persistent congestion at the Johor side of the Causeway.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said Singapore passport holders were allowed to use the egates at BSI and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) at Iskandar Puteri starting yesterday.
He said the initiative was one of the short-term measures to speed up the flow of travellers at the two CIQ complexes, which would benefit between 30,000 and 50,000 Singaporeans who travel back and forth to Johor regularly.
“Previously, egates were limited to only Malaysian passport holders. But from now, we have decided to open this for Singaporeans who use epassports.
“In addition, the number of egates at BSI will also be increased. Currently, the number available is 20 inbound and 20 outbound, and we will add another 20,” he said, adding that BSI recorded a total of over 200,000 travellers daily.
More than 70 million travellers have been recorded using the BSI CIQ and KSAB in Iskandar Puteri to travel between Malaysia and Singapore throughout last year.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who also attended the meeting chaired by Saifuddin, said since the two land checkpoints were among the busiest in the world, cooperation and aid from the Federal Government is of utmost importance to ensure smooth operations.
“In fact, after the re-opening of our borders last April, I, along with related agencies, visited both BSI and KSAB to resolve issues that made it difficult for users and visitors to travel,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Onn Hafiz added the process of merging the Immigration Department and PLUS counters at BSI was also being carried out in order to shorten the transaction time and provide convenience for travellers.
He said these include repairing the main escalator at BSI, which has been out of operation since the Covid-19 pandemic started, improving the immigration autogate system, as well as the wiring around BSI, consolidation of counters, as well as establishing a more efficient Secured Automated Clearance System for Malaysian Citizen Motorcyclists (MBike) Lane for the convenience of motorcyclists.
Onn Hafiz also lauded the government’s move to allow Singapore passport holders to use the egates at BSI and KSAB, along with Malaysians.
He also said that during the meeting, the need to upgrade the footpath along the Causeway to a covered one was discussed so that travellers who choose to walk will be better protected from the elements.
“A comfortable footpath is likely to encourage more travellers to use it, thus mitigating the traffic congestion on the Causeway.
“There is also a need to add more M-Bike lanes to reduce motorcycle congestion, which can improve the traffic situation at BSI and KSAB,” he added.
