JOHOR BARU: The frequent visits to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex here and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) are aimed at finding solutions and not finding fault, says Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
The Johor Mentri Besar said that the problems at the CIQs are not something which happened in the past year or two, but are legacy issues.
"Many people wake up as early as 3am to put food on the table for their families. When they reach the CIQ, many Immigration counters are closed,” said Onn Hafiz
"I went to the ground to see the situation myself and have been working closely with the Immigration Department and Home Ministry to find solutions," he added.
Onn Hafiz then said that the problems at the CIQs were not only affecting the 300,000 people travelling between Malaysia and Singapore daily but millions more (indirectly) as each of them have families.
Onn Hafiz said this after opening the Indian heritage centre at Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam temple along Jalan Ungku Puan here on Saturday (May 13).
He also announced a RM1mil allocation for the 112-year-old temple.
On the CIQs, Onn Hafiz also shared an anecdote of an incident when he took his wife to celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary at a hotel here.
He said a waitress came up to them and thanked him on behalf of her parents. According to the waitress, her parents had been travelling between the two countries daily for 30 years and for the first time, they did not have to wake up early.
"This is the impact we are seeing and we have to work together to make a better Johor. This government, under my administration, is not deaf, not blind and not dumb as we intend to tackle issues head on," he said.
Onn Hafiz added that among the issues was a lack of doctors at Sultanah Aminah Hospital and Sultan Ismail Hospital as well as road conditions.
He likened the situation at both public hospitals and road conditions in Johor to a "war zone" which must be addressed immediately.
"We will also tackle river pollution as three out of the 10 most-polluted rivers in Malaysia are in Johor. We can laugh about this but it is really a serious matter.
"Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has decreed to bring in investments from around the world into the state – but we have to resolve these issues first to attract investments," he said.
