Bilateral agreement needed before reopening borders, says Hasni

JOHOR BARU: A bilateral agreement should be reached between Malaysia and other countries before allowing the country's border to be fully reopened, says Datuk Hasni Mohammad.

The caretaker Mentri Besar said he welcomed the suggestion by the National Recovery Council (NSC) to fully reopen the border on March 1 but was concerned about burdening the people.

“We should not burden the people who, after returning to Malaysia, have to go back to Singapore again for work.

“We do not want them to come back just because of political reasons and when they have to cross the border again, comes the old issue of high quarantine costs and other problems.

“I do not think that this is a good move unless the government is willing to bear such costs - it all depends on both countries.

“I think it will be better if Malaysia and Singapore can make a bilateral decision beforehand,” he told reporters after launching the Common Ground Iskandar Space in Iskandar Puteri on Thursday (Feb 10).

Recently, NSC chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the council had recommended to reopen the border on March 1 without the mandatory quarantine to support the nation’s recovery.

Muhyiddin, however, said those entering would have to undergo Covid-19 tests before and right after arriving into the country as recommended by the Health Ministry.

On a related matter, Hasni also hoped that the quota for the land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL-Land) between Malaysia and Singapore could be increased and extended to other modes of transport such as rail and private vehicles.

He said the current quota for the VTL-Land was about 700 for each way and if the quota is increased, Johor is ready to accommodate and comply with the necessary standard operating procedure.