SINCE last year, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has made more than 70 official and unofficial visits to the two land checkpoints between Malaysia and Singapore.
Among his major successes includes fixing all the infrastructure problems including ensuring all escalators and lifts are in working condition.
He also made sure to have additional immigration manpower deployed to handle the huge volume of people and vehicles, especially during peak hours in the mornings, evenings, weekends and public holidays.
He has also been able to get funding to fix all the immigration autogates and add more lanes to help expedite clearance.
Onn’s videos have been keenly followed on social media, especially after he recently decided to open up an entire floor at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex to hundreds of motorcyclists who had previously been parking haphazardly around the city.
The multi-storey parking lot was previously reserved for government officials working at the CIQ.
The Mentri Besar’s rationale was that it was underutilised to the extent that people could even play football in the empty area.
His move to bring top officials from Putrajaya, including the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers, to the checkpoints to look into ways to improve connectivity was timely as the congestion at the checkpoints was expected to worsen.
The checkpoints in Johor Baru and the Second Link are said to be the busiest in the world, handling up to 350,000 to 400,000 people daily.
Onn (left) during one of his spot checks at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex in Johor Baru. — Filepic
The recent favourable exchange rate of RM3.40 for every S$1 was now attracting Malaysians from all over the country to Johor so they could commute daily to the island republic to earn a living.
Johor’s economy is heavily dependent not just on Malaysians working in Singapore but also on Singaporeans who cross over for leisure, shopping and food.
Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong said that during Wesak Day (June 2), about 285,000 people entered Malaysia.
“If Singaporeans spent a minimum S$100 (RM340) per person on food, leisure and shopping, this would be a huge boost to the Johor economy.
“I am sure if border issues are resolved, more people will enter the state,” he added.
Running the Johor Baru CIQ, I am sure, is a herculean task.
It is manned by hundreds of personnel from some 20 agencies, with the bulk of manpower coming from Immigration and Customs departments.
Among agencies at the sprawling complex are Tourism Malaysia, Road Transport Department, Malaysian Quarantine Inspection Services (Maqis), Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), Home Ministry enforcement division, Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB), National Audit Department, Health Ministry, Geoscience and Minerals, and KTMB.
The police, Rela, auxiliary police, building management office, Plus Bhd and Public Works Department are also there.
The time has come for Malaysia to seriously push for the creation of a single agency to take charge of border control, similar to Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
This will allow for better planning and coordination among all agencies, better deployment of manpower and help streamline the budget needed for upgrading works at the checkpoints.
In January, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that they were in the final stages of discussions towards having a single border agency.
The idea had been mooted in 2018.
Singapore should also be commended for taking proactive action to improve border clearance, including upgrading its immigration system, adding more clearance lanes and most recently, having 10 automated immigration kiosks at Woodlands Train Checkpoint.
However, it is time for both governments to find a long-term solution to this congestion issue at the land checkpoints, including opting for a single clearance system similar to the one mooted for Rapid Transit System link in the coming years.
This means clearance will only be done on either side of the border once – with Singapore’s immigration officers stationed at checkpoints in Johor to clear people entering the republic, while Malaysian immigration personnel will be deployed in Singapore to clear those entering Malaysia.
Malaysia should push for this via its Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) for Iskandar Malaysia meeting, expected to be held in the republic next month.
I am certain that until all these issues at the border are resolved, Onn will continue to make more visits to the checkpoints.
Better and efficient border control is paramount to Johor’s economy, as it has the most number of checkpoints in the country with almost 15 entry and exit points, including one each for rail and air, two land crossings and 11 via sea.
The writer welcomes feedback via nelson@thestar.com.my
