JOHOR BARU: Bus travellers from Singapore entering Malaysia via the Second Link were made to wait for long hours due to a system glitch at the Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar (KSAB) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ).
Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong Wie Kong said that on Tuesday, they detected 80 coaches ferrying travellers from Singapore that would be entering Malaysia through Second Link yesterday.
“As weekend is usually a busy time at our land borders with Singapore, I have written a letter to Tourism Johor informing them about the high number of coaches and urged them to take appropriate action in anticipation of large crowds at the Second Link.
“However, the association is disappointed that it took longer hours for travellers to clear our immigration checks as only a handful of immigration counters are open at KSAB on Saturday morning,” he said.
Leong added that the large Singaporean group crossed the Second Link to make their way to Kuala Lumpur to attend an event there and had plans to make several stops around Johor.
He said some of the local tourist guides had to wait for about six hours before being able to meet with their respective tour groups after clearing their passports at KSAB.
“This should not have happen again as a similar incident took place in June this year.
“It is not right that every time there is a problem at our land borders, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has to come down.
“There must be greater cooperation between government agencies, both at the state and federal levels, to ease congestion and make it easier for people to travel between Malaysia and Singapore,” Leong said.
Meanwhile, Johor Immigration Department director Baharuddin Tahir said there was a technical issue with the passport system but it had been sorted out.
“A glitch in the system caused the delay but the department has rectified it and the system is operational again with everything back to normal,” he said.
