Proposed single entry point at Malaysia-Singapore border to be presented in Cabinet, says DPM Fadillah

• “Once the Cabinet agrees, a technical committee will be established to work on it, and for sure it will be brought to the highest leadership." 

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): The proposal to streamline border control processes at the Malaysia-Singapore border through a single entry point will be presented to Cabinet, before being brought for further deliberation between the leaders of the two countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof [GPS-Petra Jaya] said the proposal was discussed in a cross-ministerial special committee to address congestion issues at the Johor Causeway on Monday (March 6).

“Once the Cabinet agrees, a technical committee will be established to work on it, and for sure it will be brought to the highest leadership, which is the meeting between Singapore and Malaysia, where both prime ministers will be involved in the discussion,” he told reporters at a press conference in Parliament on Monday.

A single entry point is meant to consolidate the various border control agencies into a single agency to streamline cross-border procedures.

Fadillah had called for the press conference upon completion of the Special Committee on Congestion at the Johor Causeway meeting, which was attended by Minister of Transport Anthony Loke, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Chan Foong Hin, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Mohamad Alamin, and Deputy Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

The meeting was also attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Works, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Immigration Department, Royal Malaysian Customs Department and representatives from the Johor state government.

Fadillah also shared that in view of the congestion situation at the Johor Causeway, the government has allocated a total of RM190 million for upgrading works of its immigration facilities and system there.

“Overall, [these programmes cost] RM190 million, progress is about 60%, they will be implemented [in] phases, those that only get their allocation this year will take some time,” he said.

Fadillah said there are 23 initiatives in total at the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine complexes at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB).

“We need to take several actions from physical development to upgrading facilities and systems,” he said, citing the fast-growing daily travellers that crossed the Malaysia-Singapore border in the past.

Of these initiatives, Fadillah said 13 have been completed, five are in progress, three have not commenced and are expected to be started in October this year and be completed by December 2024.

The remaining two initiatives are newly proposed, involving an estimated cost of RM64.28 million, for works including connecting bus passenger halls in KSAB, upgrading lorry inspection counters and building new public toilets.