JOHOR BARU: M. Satish arrived at the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) at around 7.30am to a scene of utter chaos.
The immigration system was down, there were long queues, it was stifling hot and hundreds of angry and frustrated people were stuck there.
The health, safety and environment officer, who commutes to Singapore on a motorcycle, said it took almost 40 minutes to clear immigration. On a normal day, it would take less than 10 minutes.
“Had I not left home earlier in the morning, I would have been late for work. The outage also worsened traffic congestion.
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“It may not happen that frequently, but such outages cause uncertainty and delays, especially for those heading to Singapore for work.
“I hope the relevant agencies can prevent such problems from happening again.
“If it was a planned outage, then there should have been a notification so we could make our travel arrangements.
“However, I’m still thankful that they acted quickly by opening almost all the manual counters,” the 35-year-old said.
Another Malaysian working in Singapore, Soh Qiao Shi, said she was frustrated to again be stuck for more than 30 minutes for a process that would normally take only about five minutes.
“Neither the QR code scanners nor the automated passport clearance gates were working when I arrived at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI).
“Only the manual counters were operational, forcing everyone to line up and wait for immigration officers to process their passports,” said the 28-year-old.
“It was very frustrating, especially since it was so hot and crowded,” said the accountant, noting that this had happened several times this year alone.
A technician, who only wanted to be known as Azman, urged the government to take the issue seriously as it affects the livelihoods of many Malaysians.
“This has been going on for many years, and it is frustrating to know that there is still no solution.
“Thankfully, I left home early this time and made it to work just minutes before my shift started, but that may not have been the case for others.
“I really hope something can be done about this as it affects both tourists and those working across the border,” he said.
Many people also took to social media to express their frustration over the system outage at both KSAB and the BSI, with some claiming that it caused them to be late for work.
Photos and videos showing congestion and large crowds at the CIQs, as well as heavy traffic at the border crossings, were also widely shared.
