Fadillah: Cabinet to discuss single immigration clearance system at Causeway

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal for a single immigration clearance system at the Malaysia-Singapore border will be brought to the Cabinet in a bid to ease congestion at the Johor Causeway, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Special Committee on Congestion at the Johor Causeway had agreed to the proposal in principle and the idea would be refined by the Home Ministry, as the secretariat of the special committee, before being tabled at the Cabinet meeting.

"It means that those who want to enter Malaysia can get clearance in Singapore by the Malaysian Immigration personnel deployed there," he told a press conference at the Parliament media centre after chairing the committee meeting on Monday (March 6).

Fadillah said if the idea was accepted by the Cabinet, a technical committee would be formed to discuss the possibility of its implementation with Singapore.

This was because it would need some changes in terms of law as well as the agreement of the Singaporean government, he added.

"It will ease movement of commuters between Singapore and Malaysia," he said.

Aside from that, Fadillah revealed that a total of RM190mil had been allocated by the Federal Government to implement short-, medium- and long-term initiatives including to improve facilities and ease congestion at the Johor Causeway.

"Overall, we have allocated a total of RM190mil and the overall project achievement stood at 60%.

"It will be carried out in stages and if the procurement is just conducted this year, it may take some time.

"However, those short-term initiatives had already been implemented.

"This includes the proposal to increase the numbers for motorcycle lanes from 50 to 75," he said.

On the proposed idea to form a single border agency, the matter would also be brought to the Cabinet for further direction.

Fadillah said the initiatives to ease congestion had to be taken into consideration as the number of commuters at the Causeway was expected to increase.