Johor MB Urges Swift Action On System Disruption At CIQ BSI

JOHOR BAHRU, July 19 (Bernama) -- The Johor government has urged the relevant federal authorities to take immediate action to prevent a recurrence of the system disruption at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) here.

Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the incident highlights the need for an efficient, reliable and consistently operational system, given that the CIQ BSI is one of the country’s main international gateways.

Expressing disappointment over the disruption, which lasted more than 24 hours, he said that although there have been slight improvements in managing congestion, they remain insufficient.

“Such weaknesses not only inconvenience the public but may also tarnish the image of the state and nation, especially as this is one of the busiest entry points in the region,” he said in a Facebook post following an unannounced visit to the CIQ BSI.

Located in the heart of Johor Bahru, the CIQ BSI handles hundreds of thousands of daily cross-border movements, particularly between Malaysia and Singapore.

The Malaysian Border Control Agency earlier said the disruption to the autogate system for foreign visitors at the country’s main entry points since yesterday is due to data integration issues, which have slowed the cross-checking process in the MyIMMS system.

The glitch had led to long queues and congestion at several locations, including Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2, as well as the CIQ complexes at BSI and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar in Johor.

-- BERNAMA