JOHOR BARU: The Johor Menteri Besar has urged the Immigration Department to expedite its resolution to the massive congestion at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) today.
Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said on behalf of Johoreans who commute through both checkpoints, he urged and appealed to the department head to resolve this immediately.
"The people should not be inconvenienced in this manner. How long will they continue to suffer from these circumstances?" he asked.
Onn Hafiz is currently in Shenzen, China, meeting potential investors to invest in the state.
"I really regret that this is still happening especially when I am away in China. I feel sorry that the rakyat is forced to face hardship due to a system problem. I am pleading for this matter to be resolved quickly," he said in a reply to the New Straits Times.
A glitch in the automated MBike immigration clearance system for motorcyclists had recently caused massive congestion for motorcyclists commuting between Johor and Singapore.
Motorcyclists had to wait for hours to clear Immigration and there were extensive queues at both BSI and KSAB.
The congestion is due to a disruption of the MBike system at motorcycle inspection zone entry and exit routes.
Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said the disruption was caused by system configuration work being implemented by a newly appointed company on Feb 29.
The MBike system, introduced in 2016 to alleviate traffic congestion, operates similarly to autogates at all entry and exit points in Malaysia.
It utilises a radio frequency identification device (RFID) sticker attached to the passport, requiring motorcyclists to place their thumb on a reader before the gantry opens.
Ruslin acknowledged that the department was aware of the unusual congestion at the motorcycle zone in BSI and KSAB.
He assured that the department and the appointed company were taking immediate measures to address the issue and restore the MBike system as soon as possible.
Ruslin also dispelled rumours that the termination of the previous company handling the MBike system was due to "instructions" from higher authorities.
Currently, Immigration officers are manually carrying out inspections on motorcyclists, which is causing the massive congestion at motorcycle lanes in both checkpoints.