JOHOR BARU, March 19 ― The Johor DAP today called on the federal government to look into the issue of congestion and difficulty for Malaysians trying to renew their passports at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore.

Johor DAP secretary Tan Hong Pin said immediate and appropriate action must be taken by the government to overcome these two problems.

"I take seriously the issue of congestion and difficulty in the passport renewal process by Malaysians at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore as reported by the Straits Times yesterday.

"The passport renewal issue has forced Malaysians in Singapore to queue up in the long line at the Malaysian High Commission and they even have to be there before dawn,” said Tan in a statement issued here today.

Tan, who is also the Skudai assemblyman, also claimed that Malaysians have to queue for five hours to collect their passports even after making appointments online.

"Furthermore, I am also very concerned about our people in Singapore, especially children and senior citizens, who are unable to renew their passports online as reported by the newspaper.

"Such a situation has to some extent raised concerns among those stranded (in Singapore) as a result of border closures since last year,” he said.

Referring to the report, Tan said the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore only allows up to 30 Malaysians to attend for passport renewal services.

"Based on my calculations, I found that the high commissioner's office could not handle the high workload of at least 500,000 Malaysians in Singapore.

"After a year through the movement control order (MCO) and the closure of the international border, especially at the Malaysia-Singapore border, the government is still not prepared and has not found a solution to facilitate such matters,” said Tan, adding that he calls upon the Home Affairs Ministry and Immigration Department to explore alternative policies to facilitate the passport renewal process while meeting the high demand involving Malaysians stranded abroad.

Tan also asked about the Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore’s post that has been vacant for the past 11 months.

He said the government needs a new appointment immediately to oversee the operation of the commissioner's office thus facilitating the affairs of Malaysians in Singapore.