PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has issued a directive ensuring that the recent technical disruption at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) in Johor do not recur at any of the country’s entry points.
Director-General of the Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, said that this matter was conveyed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail during a coordination meeting regarding the incident on Monday (Jan 12).
Following this, he has personally instructed every commander - including those at BSI and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) - to strictly monitor the entry systems at these gateways.
"He (the Home Minister) placed very high emphasis on this incident because what happened led the Prime Minister to issue a directive that this must not happen again.
"Furthermore, this is especially crucial with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026) approaching. I have personally instructed all commanders, particularly at BSI and KSAB, that if they see any signs that the system is not working well, please let HQ know in advance,” he said.
During a press conference following the handover ceremony of appointment letters to AKPS commanders here today, Mohd Shuhaily said this ruling was made so that troubleshooting actions could be implemented at an early stage.
"When a system breakdown occurs, my commanders must react quickly - meaning they must facilitate the entry or exit of as many travelers as possible. If the system has broken down, you must do it manually. If there are no personnel (at the counters), they must find people to fill those counters,” he said.
Previously, media reports indicated that tens of thousands of foreigners were stranded in long queues at Malaysia's two land entries with Singapore following a technical glitch that caused most immigration autogates to malfunction last Saturday.
As of yesterday, the eGate system disruption at BSI had not yet fully recovered; however, border control operations continued as usual, with the impact limited to foreign passport holders. - Bernama
