JOHOR BARU, Nov 8 — The Home Ministry said today it will lead the initiative for the government’s single border agency, with a pilot project expected to start as early as next year.
Its minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that the matter has been agreed on by the Cabinet.
“We have started the preliminary work and the pilot project for the single border agency is expected by next year, starting with a number of entrances that we will announce.
“Currently, we have two months to prepare for the pilot project in terms of its overall structure, organisation, staffing and other pertinent matters. In future, the single border agency initiative will serve a total of 141 gazetted entrances across the country,” Saifuddin Nasution told reporters in Tampoi here.
He said this after witnessing the signing ceremony for the en-bloc purchase of the Aliff Sejahtera Apartment on behalf of the federal government. The apartments will serve as staff residences for Johor’s Immigration Department personnel.
Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and senior government officials.
Saifuddin said he is confident that the Home Ministry can structure the single border agency initiative by integrating 40 separate government agencies and their tasks.
He said the ministry will use the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) as inter-agency integration models.
“A good example is Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) which is a single agency to regulate the republic’s entry points and borders,” he said.
Saifuddin explained that for Malaysia, the single border agency should meet the three important objectives that will be the core part of its establishment.
“It must facilitate the border coordination between the various regulatory agencies, improve on the delivery system and also to maintain integrity,” he said.
For Johor, Saifuddin explained that the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Ismail Building (BSI) has about 20 separate government agencies such as the Immigration Department, Agriculture Department, police and Road Transport Department based there.
He added that for the CIQ in the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) at the Second Link crossing, there are about 14 government agencies based there.
“We are moving towards the right direction in integrating all the agencies under a single border agency, similar to that of Singapore’s ICA,” he said
On January 20, Saifuddin was reported to have said that the single border agency initiative, planned since 2018, is an effort to integrate more than 20 government enforcement agencies.
He said the effort is to improve the operation flow at two of Johor’s entry points, especially at both BSI and KSAB.
On October 13, during the Budget 2024 presentation, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the establishment of a single border agency as part of an initiative to strengthen the level of national defence and security.
Currently, a multi-agency arrangement is involved in safeguarding of the country’s borders.
