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PONTIAN (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – The two land border crossings with Singapore should be reopened as soon as possible as the Johor state government is unable to find employment for 100,000 Malaysians who could lose their jobs due to the prolonged closure, said Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad.
Hasni said the current unemployment rate in the state was already at a record 18 percent with 35,000 people out of work.
“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 Covid-19 pandemic,” he said .
Hasni said that 5 to 10 percent 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 around 250,000 people commuting between the two countries for a living, had been hit hard.
“Johor’s trade, among the highest in the country for five years since 2013, has also been severely affected.
“Some 100,000 Malaysians could lose their jobs if the shutdown is prolonged,” he said.
Hasni said that like Mentri Besar, he was in contact with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to find a way to keep the Covid-19 situation under control as he moved to fully reopen the border.
He also said it was an opportune time for the border to reopen for commutes, as Johor had been a green area for some time.
“Let’s start with the students and then gradually move on to the workers,” he said when asked to comment in The Star’s front-page report on pleas from various sectors to reopen the border with Singapore to stimulate economic activities, especially in the city area.
Since border movements slowed in March, many businesses have suffered, and some have seen a decline of up to 70 percent without the sponsorship of Singaporeans.
When asked about Singapore’s move to slowly lift restrictions on Malaysians from September 1, which included reducing the quarantine time to just seven days, Hasni said: “The Malaysian side should always correspond and coordinate the SOP with its Singaporean counterpart, as I believe the health departments of both countries are constantly in contact. “
He noted that just when Johor’s economy was worsening, Singapore was also experiencing its worst economic contraction in 55 years.
The chairman of the State Health and Environment Committee, R. Vidyananthan, also felt that it was time for the land border between Malaysia and Singapore to be reopened in stages.
“We believe that general SOP cannot be applied here, Johor and Singapore should follow different criteria.
“The Johor government has given our suggestions on the SOP to the federal government and hopes that it will be taken into consideration and implemented soon for economic reasons.
“Also, Johor has been a green zone for over a month since the RGL (Reciprocal Green Lane) and PCA (Periodic Commuting Arrangement) started with Singapore,” he said.
It added that more than 5,542 people had traveled using the two arrangements since Aug. 17.
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