Johor chief pledges to resolve ‘issues’ at two CIQs by September
Johor Menteri Besar has pledged to resolve issues plaguing its land border crossings with Singapore by September.
While Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi did not say what the issues are, the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Johor Bahru and the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex in Iskandar Puteri are known to be congested.
In a bid to reduce the jam, the southern Malaysian state announced last week that it would deploy an extra 250 immigration officers to its land border crossings with Singapore by September.
National news agency Bernama quoted Mr Onn Hafiz as saying on Thursday that the state government remained committed to improving Johor’s connectivity, especially in improving the services at the two CIQ complexes.
“We are aware that addressing these legacy issues that have plagued us for a long time can help improve the image of Johor and Malaysia, as well as make the lives of daily visitors to our state easier,” he told attendees at a business and investment forum.
Mr Onn Hafiz said he had received assurances from the Immigration Department and the Home Affairs ministry that the problems will be overcome within the next three months.
The Johor-Singapore Causeway is currently one of the busiest border crossings in the world with over 300,000 Malaysians travelling to Singapore every day.
Mr Onn Hafiz is reported to have made frequently visits to the checkpoints in his bid to solve the issue.
In late May, he said congestion at the land borders between Johor and Singapore has gone on for far too long and must be resolved by 2023.
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