Johor chief minister says e-gates system failure 'embarrassment to the country', system partially restored

Several e-gates at Malaysian land checkpoints with Singapore resumed operations on Jul. 19, after a system glitch the day before disrupted services at the checkpoints and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) terminals.

As of 6pm on Jul. 19, 26 out of 68 e-gates at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, the entry to Malaysia via Johor-Singapore Causeway, and three out of 12 at the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex, the entry to Malaysia via Second Link, were back in service.

The Chief Minister of Johor Onn Hafiz Ghazi called it "an embarrassment to the country" and said the system failure "reflects on the government's competence", according to New Straits Times.

He criticised that the system failure was untimely as Singapore and Johor are working closely on the Special Economic Zone framework, and it has undermined Malaysia's tourism efforts, the New Straits Times report added.

According to a security official's observation, tens of thousands of people, mostly Singaporeans, reportedly queued for over four hours to clear immigration.

Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communication Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh told Malaysian media Bernama that relevant agencies are actively working to resolve the issue at both land checkpoints.

Ongoing monitoring is being carried out to ensure smooth traffic flow at both complexes, he added.

The system failure was reportedly caused by a data integration issue that slowed down cross-verification processes within the MyIMMS immigration system.

Top image via Onn Hafiz Ghazi/Facebook