Causeway blues

JUST 18 minutes. That’s all it took for me to exit Changi Airport from the time my flight landed to clearing immigration and getting in a taxi.

This was two weeks ago and was the fastest time I’ve ever disembarked in Singapore. I would put it down to the efficiency at the airport itself and the fact that Malaysian visitors can now use the biometric scanners to scan passports.

Which then begs the question. If a system can be put in place to ensure smooth access for air travellers, why can’t something be done to prevent the horrendous traffic snarls at the main land crossing to the republic – the Causeway?

The Malaysian Prime Minister’s statement on Sept 14 that Malaysia has done its part to ease the Causeway jam and it is now up to Singapore is telling.

The Johor Mentri Besar has made it a personal mission to improve traffic at the border crossing since he took the job.

He has visited the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at least 70 times, almost on a weekly basis.

As a result, the Immigration Department has doubled their manpower at this checkpoint, helping to ease congestion. But has Singapore done the same at their Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints?

Traffic volume has currently reached about 90% pre-Covid levels, with about 400,000 travellers clearing daily via the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, making this the world’s busiest land border.

Following Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement, social media, especially TikTok has been full of content accusing Singapore of failing to do its part. Videos showing hour-long jams have proliferated on these sites.

However, the reality is more complex because this is a multi-faceted problem that will not be solved overnight.

Yes, during peak hours, the jams are pretty bad at the Causeway. This is also the situation on weekends as Singaporeans come in droves to do their shopping in Johor Baru, thanks to their much stronger currency.

But, based on checks, off-peak traffic is manageable. It takes just three minutes to clear Immigration at the Malaysian side and probably 20 minutes or so at the Singapore checkpoint. Conversely, it takes a little bit longer for traffic coming into JB – probably 20 odd minutes at Singapore Immigration and a further 20 minutes at the CIQ.

It is no secret that many in Johor feel that Singapore does not want a free flow of traffic into Johor because it would mean more capital outflow as their citizens start buying property at the Malaysian side and use it as a base to travel back and forth.

The reality is that the 400,000-plus workers making the daily border crossing are crucial to the republic’s economy. Nurses, cleaners, guards, port workers, postal employees, bus drivers – these are all jobs that Malaysians fill, and the economy would grind to a halt without this workforce.

Post-pandemic, many jobs that Malaysians use to do in Singapore have not been replaced yet, because these locals have now settled on jobs in the gig economy like food riders and ehailing drivers.

Why on earth would Singapore want to purposely delay their border crossing when they are so dependent on Malaysian workers?

Although Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has not increased more officers at its land checkpoints, it has taken a few measures to ease congestion.

They have started to introduce biometrics, to provide a faster and more seamless clearance experience for travellers, without compromising security. Checkpoints have also been equipped with a new command and control system, providing enhanced tactical, sense-making and decision support tools.

There are now more automated lanes at bus arrival halls which allow automated clearance for Malaysian passport holders, and automated clearance for all motorcyclists using biometrics.

It’s in our neighbour’s best interests to actually facilitate a free flow of workers and traffic. A large number of sectors, especially the service industry, are reliant on this.

From our point of view, the lure of the cheaper ringgit continues to draw Singaporean shoppers to Johor and even further north and this in turn helps with our domestic economy.

The crazy property prices and land scarcity in the republic makes Johor an attractive proposition. It would make sense for Singapore’s industrial parks to relocate to Johor because of cheaper labour and costs.

It would be good for a G-to-G meeting to resolve long-standing issues at our land crossing. The meeting should come up with both short-term and long-term solutions to the Causeway jams.

Yes, it’s obvious that our neighbours are paranoid about border security, but border control is the right of every government and if the solutions are made transparent and available to the public, the suspicions, finger-pointing and accusations will abate.

Singapore has nothing to worry about with regards to Johor economically. Johor can complement the republic’s lightning economic progress, and this will be a win-win for everyone. This does not have to be a zero-sum game.