KUALA KUBU BARU: The new Malaysia Checkpoints and Border Agency (MCBA) is running smoothly, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said the agency, which had yet to be gazetted, was currently operating through a paper that was presented to Cabinet in April last year.
"The operations and enforcement carried out by MCBA will be further strengthened through the tabling of a Bill (at Parliament) for the setting up of this new agency in July," he told reporters after attending the Hari Raya celebration at the Kuala Kubu Baru Police Academy here on Friday (May 3).
Saifuddin said the idea of establishing the MCBA, to oversee the management and control of the nation's borders, was not new.
"This has been in the works since 2019 when I was the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister. At that time a nucleus team was created to make all the preparations," he said.
Saifuddin said the proposed Bill was currently being reviewed by the Attorney General's Office before it was presented to the Parliament.
He said when the Bill was passed, MCBA would become a large enforcement agency and play an important role in the country with the goal to have one single agency manage the borders.
"We want the delivery process at the border to run smoothly and there is no need to deal with dozens of agencies," he said.
