KUALA LUMPUR (May 25): The government’s move to consolidate government agencies at Malaysia's entry and exit points into a single border agency (SBA) is expected to be completed in January 2024, subject to the cabinet’s approval, said Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution.

In a written reply on Wednesday (May 24) to a question posed by Tenggara Member of Parliament Manndzri Nasib about an update regarding the establishment of the SBA, Saifuddin said the initiative was undergoing a final study, with the results slated to be tabled to the cabinet next month.

“Based on [the ministry's] plan, the establishment of the SBA is expected in January 2024, subject to the cabinet’s decision,” he said. The move to establish the SBA is a follow-up to congestion issues at the nation’s entry points such as at the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex and the Sultan Iskandar Building in Johor Bahru.

Meanwhile, in a separate written reply to Pasir Puteh MP Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Haji Salleh pertaining to the findings of the SBA’s preliminary study, Saifuddin said it was found that there are a number of issues regarding services at Malaysia’s entry points, namely inefficient human resource management, aging infrastructure, facilities, and bottleneck building design, insufficient assets, and lack of coordination in immigration, customs, quarantine and security management.

“As a result of the study and engagement with various agencies and stakeholders, as well as benchmarks set abroad, it was concluded that the establishment of the SBA will be a transformative model concept by combining all existing agencies at entry points under one agency that will act as the front-line agency to carry out entry point and border control functions,” he added.

Saifuddin said the SBA’s establishment is aimed at improving control and security management, as well as government services at Malaysia's entry points.

Efforts toward establishing the SBA have been in the works since 2018 and involves the consolidation of over 20 agencies, Saifuddin reportedly said earlier this year.