December 23, 10:21 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 Social media has been awash with images and reports of a gridlocked Causeway this December due to an influx of visitors from both sides of the Straits of Johor having a merry good time visiting each other's country.
However, even as many people have been going online to complain about how bad the situation is and pointing their collective finger at those working at immigration clearance for not speeding things up, one brave soul from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) -- presumably a Singaporean checkpoint officer working at the Causeway -- has posted on Facebook sharing her side of the story.
Not only did she explain what border security entails, she also cheered her colleagues on for seeing to their duty.
At the same time, she requested for the public to be more understanding and tolerant of the long queues to enter and/ or exit Singapore, cognisant of the fact that what she is doing is a downside-ridden job: Checks have to be thorough and time-consuming, or else, there goes the well-being of Singapore, which lies in her hands and those of her colleagues:
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Posted by Adilla Ramli on Friday, December 18, 2015
Anyway, here are some facts provided by the authorities to the media:
1. 430,000 travellers daily: About 400,000 travellers pass through the checkpoints, but this number increases to 430,000 during the year-end school holiday period, according to the Commander at Tuas Checkpoint. Channel NewsAsia, Dec 21.
2. Average waiting time between one to 1.5 hours for Singapore side: ICA records suggest waiting time on the Singapore side of the causeway are under three hours, not four to five hours as reported. Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that he spoke to more than a dozen passengers and drivers on a weekend morning, who told him "their average waiting time was between one to 1.5 hours". Channel NewsAsia, Dec 21.
3. ICA officers working overtime: About 100 ICA officers have been working overtime this period to handle the increased volume of traffic. All the checkpoint counters are open to deal with the traffic. MyPaper, Dec 22.
But it appears that her post, which came out on Dec. 18, 2015, has been hidden and privatised.
In case you cannot read the Facebook post above, here it is in full:
It has been all over social media for the past few days with regards to the horrendous traffic on our land checkpoint. Heres what i gotta say:
First things first, what people need to know is that the traffic has been there for years. Only that they didnt realised its December now, which also means school holidays and festive seasons that is around the corner. And not to forget the attractive 3:1 exchange rate that attracts more malaysian to come over and work. That causes the daily heavy traffic.
When people started complaining about how lazy and inefficient my officers and i are, i would really love to know whats their actual definition of efficiency. If the public see our clearance as slow, i cant see how faster theirs can be? As compared to many other countries, i personally think that we are seriously up to standard. We did our best to open up all counters and zones every day to ease the traffic.
What people need to understand is that checkpoints aint nothing like an amusement park. You come as and when you like, taking it all easy. Crossing over the borders is a priviledge, not an entittlement. You can always choose to stay at home, if you dont want to go through proper screenings for both passports and conveyances.
I see alot of keyboard warriors around here. Saying our officers arent capable of doing their job well. Singaporeans want a safe country. So we conduct proper screenings for everyone that passes through our checkpoints. We dont tighten our security for nothing. But, they whine yet again. Saying it causes alot of hassle and that it took so much of their time to deal with it.
But if we loosen it to please them (which we never did actually), security lapses will take place. And then once again, the officers are to be blamed. Complaining of how horrible they are at carrying out their jobs and that how incapable they are in keeping their country safe and sound.
So how now? We cant please everyone cant we? Theres always a price to pay for everything. I tell you, our officers work so hard everyday. Be it on car clearance, cargos, vehicle checkings, everything. They put their ass out there to ensure that everything roll smoothly. Have you ever for once appreciate their effort? No. You only think of yourself!
I wonder if you keyboard warriors ever complain and bark while going through other country's clearance. From the look of it, no one have got the balls to. The people who work in Singapore, yes you've got a family to feed. We have ours too. You choose to work here, no one forces you to. So, im sorry but you gotta deal with it. Same for the Singaporeans who decide to reside in Malaysia.
Our job is easy, they said. We only chop passport, they said. Okay lor, you win liao lor. If you think that you can do better than what our officers does, i strongly urge you to apply and join us. Be a part of the team and see how we roll everyday. Things are always easier said than done.
And to my officers, i respect all the hardworks you put in since day one. For both on the tough and easy days. This is our rice bowl and we know how to carry out our job well. Keep up the good work and let us not let anything stops us from doing our best, irregardless.
Sekian, terima kasih.
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