KUALA LUMPUR – Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi paid a visit to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Johor Bahru this evening in response to widespread reports of extensive traffic jams at the two border crossings to Singapore.
On Facebook, Onn Hafiz attributed the congestion at the CIQ complexes at the Sultan Iskandar Building and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex to glitches in the automated immigration clearance M-Bike system designed for motorcyclists at Malaysia’s entry and exit points.
He added that the situation was exacerbated by a fire that damaged a computer server, leading to the malfunctioning of the electronic-gate facilities.
“This has resulted in the deployment of immigration officers to the manual M-Bike counters, resulting in a shortage of manpower at the car counters,” he explained.
Onn Hafiz revealed that he had already reached out to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to discuss the ongoing issues and expressed optimism that the problems at the two CIQ complexes would be resolved promptly.
On March 6, Onn Hafiz urged the Immigration Department to urgently address the escalating congestion at the causeway and Second Link, saying that Johoreans should not be subjected to such challenges.
On June 15, he instructed his administration to take the congestion at the two complexes seriously, highlighting its persistence over decades.
The menteri besar has also visited the two complexes several times to find solutions to ease congestion at the facilities, which see some 300,000 Malaysians cross into Singapore daily. – March 9, 2024