Skudai assemblyman Tan Hong Pin said Singapore’s decision to tighten restrictions on Malaysians was a burden for citizens working in the city-state, although he acknowledged their need to do so.
On Nov 20, the republic said it would tighten border measures given the resurgence in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.
Tan said the move to quarantine Malaysians for 14 days despite travelling under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) and Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) would cause financial and mental health burdens.
“I take note of the Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s statement yesterday that the foreign ministry is negotiating SOP proposals to reopen the border.
“However, the government has been too slow and too late in following up on the matter to protect our citizens working there. There is also a group of Malaysians who are permanent residents of Singapore who have not benefited from the PCA arrangement,” he said in a statement today.
In the short-term, he proposed that the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Technical Committee shorten the quarantine period to seven days and allow Malaysians who were permanent residents in Singapore to come under the PCA.
He added that a 14-day mandatory quarantine could be imposed on Malaysians coming from certain localities, rather than a blanket policy.
For the medium-term, he suggested that Malaysian-Singaporean couples or families be allowed to cross the border once they tested negative after swab tests.
He also suggested that the same procedure be extended to students, teachers, parents and caretakers crossing the border for education purposes.
“Amend the terms of the PCA by reducing the work period of Malaysians in Singapore from 90 days to 30 days only,” he said, referring to the number of days in which travellers are required to remain in their country of employment.
In the long-term, once the Covid-19 situation was under control in both countries, he said Malaysians should be allowed to travel to and from Singapore on condition that they get swabbed every two weeks, bearing the testing costs on their own.
“This move can indirectly help in the recovery of Johor’s economy, especially Johor Bahru, in a large scale and reduce the lodging burden for those working in Singapore,” he said.