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JOHOR BARU: The call for the land border with Singapore to be reopened as soon as possible is growing stronger, and a leader urges the state government to establish a working group to review the opening of the two land crossings with the island republic.
Bekok Assemblyman Dr. S. Ramakrishnan (Photo) He said the focus should be to reduce the time frame and cost of following the SOP when crossing the border.
“Laboratory testing facilities should be at the entry site, in view of the number of people crossing, so that the results can be received much faster.
“The cost of the tests, including the possibility that they are subsidized, must also be considered,” he said.
Ramakrishnan was commenting on the Star’s recent report on Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad saying that the state government was not able to find employment for 100,000 Malaysians who could lose their jobs due to the prolonged shutdown.
The borders were closed to commuters when Malaysia imposed the movement control order (MCO) from March 18.
Hasni had added that the current unemployment rate in the state was already at a record 18%, with 35,000 people out of work.
Ramakrishnan said the large number of Malaysian workers in Singapore and Singaporeans crossing the border for shopping, entertainment and tourism is critical to the state’s economy.
“Unfortunately, the state government did not show any urgency to open the border much earlier.
“Knowing the urgency of the matter now, steps should have been taken to shorten the quarantine period and reduce the cost of Covid 19 testing with minimal disruption to cross-border travel.
“Unfortunately, this matter (the reopening of the border) was left to the Federal Government,” he said in a statement.
He added that development agencies such as the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) should be proactive and aggressive in attracting more foreign direct investment to Johor.
“So far, investments from China seem focused on real estate development and therefore we need more investments from other countries and multinationals focused more on non-real estate sectors,” he added.
He also suggested that the state government needed to develop infrastructure for the digital economy.
He stressed that since the pandemic has disrupted social interactions, communication, business transactions, and work life, digital platforms could allow companies to continue their business online and virtually.
“Irda should lead the shift towards the digital and concert economy. Government agencies must play a crucial role in raising awareness and digital skills of small and medium-sized businesses in the state, ”he said, adding that the state government should help merchants embrace e-commerce to become digital entrepreneurs with new future skills.
Hasni had previously said that: “The time has come for the federal government to find a way to balance people’s lives and their livelihoods, as we don’t want the balance to tip only towards lives due to the pandemic of Covid-19 “.
Hasni said that between 5% and 10% of businesses in the city area had closed as a result of cash flow problems since the border closing in March.
He noted that Johor’s economy, which previously had about 250,000 people commuting between the two countries for a living, had been hit hard.
Hasni said he was in contact with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to find a way to keep the Covid-19 situation under control as he moved to fully reopen the border.
Hasni also said it was an opportune time for the border to reopen for commutes, as Johor had been a green area for some time.
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