ISKANDAR PUTER, Sept 10 — The Johor state government has submitted working papers and standard operating procedures (SOP) to the Foreign Ministry to expedite the reopening of the Malaysia-Singapore border, said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad today.

He said he hopes the effort will be considered, and can be improved upon by the federal government in obtaining the agreement of both countries in fully reopening the borders.

He said that a total of 8,270 individuals have used the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) facility, while a total of 327 individuals have used the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) to cross the Johor-Singapore border up until August 31.

"I am confident if the PCA and RGL introduced since August 17 are successful, the federal government can open up the Johor-Singapore border with a planned and effective SOP in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic," said Hasni.

He said this in a reply to a question by Andrew Chen Kah Eng (PH-Stulang) at the Johor State Assembly at the Sultan Ismail Building, Kota Iskandar here.

Earlier, Chen raised the question of when the Johor-Singapore border will be reopened so that the economy can be restored.

Hasni, who is also the Benut assemblyman, added that the state government has taken several steps to ensure that Malaysians working in Singapore would be able to commute home.

"It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of foreign tourist spending is a major contributor to the business sectors in Johor.

"The state government is always committed to think of the best measures to resolve matters involving border issues in Malaysia (Johor) from Singapore," said Hasni.