When you’re crossing over by land from Singapore to Johor Bahru (JB), it’s a given that traffic jams are likely.
That proved to be the case again on Friday (19 May) early morning when long queues formed at the Tuas Second Link towards JB.
Source: Anas Ahmad on Facebook
However, it was reportedly because car travellers were made to exit their cars to scan their passports.
In a Facebook post on Friday (19 May), a netizen complained of a massive jam when entering JB via the Second Link, reported Malaysia’s Oriental Daily.
Source: Oriental Daily
They said they crossed the border into Malaysia at about 6am that morning, but encountered a jam that lasted till about 9.30am.
Other netizens also reported long queues on Friday morning while attempting to enter JB.
Source: Kassandra DS Hendrix on Facebook
However, traffic was smooth at the Woodlands Causeway, according to Shin Min Daily News — so it appeared to be an issue restricted to the Second Link.
The jam formed apparently because those travelling by car were made to exit in order to scan their passports at the Sultan Abu Bakar Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex, the netizen claimed.
In photos posted by the OP, including one purportedly taken at 7.45am, cars were seen stopped outside immigration booths with their doors open. Their occupants stood next to the cars, possibly to have their passports checked.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
They also tagged Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi in the post, presumably asking him to look into it.
Mr Onn Hafiz, of course, is known for being hands-on, frequently visiting the checkpoints and directing staff to solve congestion issues.
Some netizens who commented on the post, however, said what the customs officers were doing was normal procedure, according to Oriental Daily.
They claimed that if a car has more than five people, all of them must exit the vehicle for passport checks so officers can properly identify each traveller, according to customs procedure.
Netizens even praised the officers for their hard work, saying that they now have to be more “on the ball” and follow proper procedures.
Source: Oriental Daily
That’s because, unlike last time, they’re now being closely watched by officials like Mr Onn Hafiz.
Ultimately, this would be good for national security, some added.
Incidentally, Mr Onn Hafiz did visit both checkpoints on Friday.
In a Facebook post the next day, he said he was glad to see that things were “getting better”.
Source: Onn Hafiz Ghazi on Facebook
According to Shin Min, some netizens had said that the Chief Minister should avoid making high-profile visits to the checkpoints, and keep things low-key instead.
This is so that he can see what is really going on, they added.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Kassandra DS Hendrix on Facebook.
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