JOHOR BARU: Cross-border travel between Malaysia and Singapore is expected to resume on Aug 17 at the earliest, as announced by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein on July 26.
This came about after both countries agreed to and finalised the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the implementation of the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) travel schemes.
Hishammuddin had said that Malaysians who are eligible for the two schemes can submit their applications to the Immigration Department from Aug 10.
However, for some Malaysians who currently work in Singapore, such a move, while appreciated, will have little impact or bearing on their current predicament and situation.
Marcus Wong, 41 – a process technician who has been working with a petrochemical company in Singapore for close to nine years – said that his fate is largely determined by his employer, as well as the current Covid-19 situation.
"When the Movement Control Order (MCO) was first implemented back in the middle of March, I could not go to work in Singapore for almost four months, and during this period, I was very worried if I still had a job because I am the sole breadwinner for my young family, and none of us knew how long the MCO would be in effect.
"There are eleven Malaysians, including myself, who work for the petrochemical company, and early last month, those with Permanent Residency (PR) status, four in total, were called back to work, while the rest of us on S-pass (a pass that allows mid-level skilled workers to work in Singapore) were summoned back to work on June 14 by our employers to avert the S$2,200 (RM6,780) cost for the two-week quarantine from June 18 onwards that would no longer be borne by the Singapore government.
"So the six of us returned to Singapore on June 14, completed the two-week quarantine where, thankfully, all of us remained safe and healthy, and we've been back to work ever since, though we no longer commute daily back and forth to work like before, but instead, our employers have graciously provided us with accommodation of serviced apartments due to the current circumstances," said Marcus, whose stay-at-home wife lives in Johor Baru taking care of their 14-month-old baby boy.
Marcus pointed out that he counts his lucky stars for still having a job and for the fact that his employers are footing the bill for his current accommodation, which would have been too expensive for him to bear – but it has come at a cost, as he is unable to see his wife and son daily, as before.
"I miss my wife and my son very much, but we communicate daily on the phone, though because of the current situation, I expect that I'll have to be away from them for at least a few months before I can see them again. But it's a necessary sacrifice which my wife understands, as this is what pays the bills, but I do wonder about our other fellow Malaysians who also work in Singapore and how they are coping, as many of us who work in Singapore are sole breadwinners for our respective families," said Marcus.
Rachel Ong, 29, who worked with a well-known food and beverage outlet across the Causeway, was not so lucky, as her employment was terminated just days ago no thanks to the pandemic and its economic impact.
"I'm back in Johor Baru now after losing my job just last week. Before the MCO, just like thousands of other fellow Malaysians, I used to commute to work across the Causeway by public transport on a daily basis. And then, because of Covid-19, I was forced to stump up S$300 (RM925) a month for a bunkbed in a cramped apartment shared with ten other fellow Malaysians so as to stay in Singapore (to keep my job).
"It was tough, as during the MCO period, most of us only got our basic salary, while many others including Singaporeans lost their jobs. So to complement my depleted income, I volunteered at one of the community isolation centres for the needed added income, and then just last week, a whole lot of us were let go.
"Despite all that has happened, I am remaining as calm as can be and weighing my options as I look for another job in Singapore. The announcement on the cross border travel from Aug 17 is a welcome move, but then again, there are also other factors to consider, such as the quarantine and the accompanying added cost such as accommodation on the island republic, apart from what the employer is willing to do to help us," said Rachel, who hails from Miri, Sarawak.
The RGL will enable cross-border travel for essential business and official purposes between both countries; while the PCA will allow residents of both Singapore and Malaysia with long-term immigration passes to commute for business and work in the other country.
Hishammuddin had also said that for the two other proposed schemes, namely for those who commute daily to Singapore for work (Category 3) and the total re-opening of the border (Category 4), both governments are still studying the feasibility of various details before implementing them.