JOHOR BARU, May 23 — Having to endure several hours in long queues since early morning just to get the waiting number is among the challenges faced by the public when obtaining services at the Home Ministry (KDN) Complex, Setia Tropika, here.

Many of them decided to go to the complex early with the hope to beat the crowd and did not have time to have breakfast, only to find many others were already in long queues at the entrance of the complex.

One of them, Nur Hazwan Sharifulazman, 37, said that he came today to inquire about his passport renewal which was done online and although he arrived as early as 7.50am, people had already queued about 400 metres from the entrance of the complex.

Working in Singapore as a facility manager at a private company for the past six years, Nur Hazwan said people had to get a waiting number from the immigration officer at the entrance, before being allowed to enter the complex and then had to pick up the number again at the counter provided, according to their respective affairs.

"Around 8am, there was an immigration officer who gave out a waiting number to the people queueing outside the entrance, and I was lucky enough to get the number.

He said that he had to wait for four hours, from 8am to 12 noon, to get the waiting number again at the counter to deal at the immigration office,” said the father of the two when met at the complex, today.

He also added that the relevant parties need to review the management system in the complex and make improvements, to ensure that such issues do not recur as the long process also involved senior citizens as well as those who brought along their small children.

Mohd Nasiruddin Md Nazim, 31, who was at the complex regarding his passport renewal, said he was thankful that a good samaritan gave him bread and a bottle of drink as he did not have time to have breakfast.

"Although the process to renew the passport was done online, we had to pick it up at the counter. I came today to ask for information on whether my passport is ready, as it has not been confirmed yet,” said Mohd Nasiruddin who has been working as a barista in a restaurant in Singapore since 2011.

Earlier, several video clips and photographs were circulating on social media showing people in long queues outside the entrance of the complex.

Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi also went down to the field this morning to check the situation at the complex as he said the public had faced the same problem since May 1 and asked the state Immigration director Baharuddin Tahir to meet him today. — Bernama