Johor to submit plan to reopen Malaysia-Singapore land border

September 28, 2021

Kuala Lumpur

THE Johor state government intends to submit a proposal to Putrajaya on its plans to set up a border reopening scheme that would allow Malaysians in Singapore to commute back and forth daily across the two land checkpoints.

This Daily Commuting Arrangement (DCA), as it is called, will cater to as many as 30,000 people each day, mostly those who need to commute between Singapore and Johor for work, as well as students.

S Dayalan, the chairman of the Malaysian Workers Association in Singapore's Johor chapter, said that based on latest statistics, there are about 215,000 Malaysians currently working in Singapore.

Johor chief minister Hasni Mohammad, speaking after a meeting chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri in Johor Bahru last Saturday, said the main issue is getting the Singapore government to discuss the standard operating procedures for the DCA, and eventually reaching a consensus on reopening the borders.

While many Malaysians are naturally hoping for a quick decision on the DCA, there are those who fear the chances remain slim for now, especially as Singapore continues to see a sharp increase in the number of daily Covid-19 infections.

Benny Tan, a 31-year-old Malaysian engineer who works in Singapore, said he has not seen his family for the last 18 months.

"While technology helps us to keep in touch, it cannot replace being able to be with them in person," said Mr Tan, whose parents are in Malaysia.

Wong Choon Huat is one of thousands of Malaysians who found themselves displaced from their jobs in Singapore due to the economic disruption caused by the pandemic.

The 32-year-old was previously working as a warehouse supervisor in Singapore when he was retrenched last year. He returned to Malaysia and lived off his savings while waiting for the borders to reopen, and remains hopeful of another opportunity to work in Singapore.

"The borders have stayed closed for too long. I keep hearing talk that it will reopen for Malaysians who need to work in Singapore, but nothing has happened so far. I hope the DCA can be implemented soon and I can find a new job and commute daily," he said.

Last week in Parliament, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah noted that the DCA is still at the "proposal stage", with many areas still to be refined.

He added that for any proposal on the reopening of borders, the main issue to be taken into consideration was the "health and safety of the people", in addition to the current state of the pandemic in both countries.

"Many things would need to be refined before implementation. As the Covid-19 situation has not eased in both countries, Malaysia and Singapore will continue to implement strict health regulations for cross-border movement," he said.

Currently, Malaysians who are permanent residents (PR) working in Singapore and those holding long-term immigration passes for both countries are able to travel under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) scheme.

The PCA is a Safe Travel Lane that supports companies in Singapore and Malaysia by facilitating the movement of workers between both sides. Companies that need to bring their employees into Malaysia or Singapore can sponsor an application.

Separately, Mr Hasni said that the Johor government is trying to obtain data of Johor residents who have received their Covid-19 vaccinations in Singapore, and to have this information updated on Malaysia's contact tracing mobile app MySejahtera.

As at Sept 22, 73.3 per cent of the adult population in Johor had been fully vaccinated. Mr Hasni said the state's 80 per cent target should be reached sometime in October.

Nationwide, Malaysia's overall vaccination rate is on track to hit 90 per cent in the middle of October, and the federal government is expected to lift restrictions on interstate travel.

In Singapore, 82 per cent of the population has completed the full regimen of two doses of the vaccine, while 85 per cent has received at least one dose.