JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 20 — The proposed establishment of a Single Border Agency (SBA) to regulate the country’s entry points is now in the final stages of implementation, says Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the initiative, which had been planned since 2018 to replace more than 20 enforcement agencies, would emulate border agencies in other countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.
“…we know that normal border regulation involves many agencies, if we manage to establish SBA, we will be in the right direction to implement improvements to the country’s border control.
“To implement this initiative, more than 20 agencies will be unified including the Immigration Department, Maqis (Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department), and Customs, without compromising security elements, instead we will utilise technology by following the good practices of several countries,” Saifuddin Nasution said.
He said this after chairing the Coordinating Committee Meeting for Handling Congestion at the Johor Causeway at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) here today.
On July 30, 2021, the Cabinet decided to establish an SBA to control the country’s entry points following the issue of congestion at the Johor Causeway.
The SBA will be tasked to screen people; inspect goods and cargo; implement quarantine orders and inspect plants and animals as well as food; carry out wildlife-related inspections and private and commercial vehicles’ inspections; conduct health checks for disease control; and security enforcement.
On the congestion at the Malaysia-Singapore border, Saifuddin Nasution said the e-gates at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) at BSI and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) at Iskandar Puteri were opened for non-citizens from today, adding that the move would benefit between 30,000 and 50,000 Singaporeans who visit Johor for social purposes.
“Previously, e-gates were only limited to Malaysian passport holders. But from today we have decided to open this access to Singaporeans who use e-passports,” he said, adding that 20 more e-gates would be opened at BSI from the existing 20 gantries placed at the entry and exit routes.
— Bernama
