Ministry may set up agency to run Johor CIQ complexes

KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry is looking into a proposal to establish a single agency to coordinate operations at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, Sultan Iskandar Building, and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Azis Jamman said the move was aimed at ensuring more efficient governance as there were 23 agencies at the Sultan Iskandar Building and 13 agencies at the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex from various ministries.

“During the visit by Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in June, he gave the federal and state governments a time frame to coordinate the establishment of a special unit to improve operations.”

He was replying to a question from Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (PKR-Johor Baru) on the formula and implementation period to reduce congestion and waiting time, particularly for Malaysians wanting to go to Singapore through the CIQ in Johor.

Azis said the ministry gave three months to a task force created under the state government to study measures to overcome congestion at the CIQ.

He said congestion at the border area was being addressed through several measures, including Immigration inspection for Malaysians going to Singapore, which involved only passport scanning through a centralised immigration system.

However, he said, congestion would also occur at the CIQ area when Singaporean authorities carried out full screening of visitors arriving from Malaysia.