Causeway congestion affects Singapore’s image

 

With 300,000 of its citizens crossing over to work in Singapore every day, Malaysia is faced with an economic dilemma.

There is no guarantee these workers will quit their jobs in Singapore even if the Johor state government were able to attract the setting up of new factories in the state.

In the first place, not all Malaysians who cross the Causeway daily are employed in factories. Many work in offices, at Changi Airport and the Singapore ports, as drivers for Singapore Bus Services (SBS) and of taxis, as well as in a myriad of other jobs in the island republic’s commercial sectors, including as delivery riders for e-hailing companies.

In terms of salaries and wages, there is an obvious disparity between what these workers are able to earn in Singapore as compared to Johor. The Singapore dollar is much stronger than our ringgit, and the starting pay there is much higher. These days, a salary of S$1500 received in Singapore translates to almost RM5,000 in Malaysia.

Not many factories or workplaces in Johor would pay that sum in wages to any local worker.

That being so, Malaysia’s low wages are unlikely to attract local workers away from their jobs in Singapore. What this means is that jobs in Johor will likely only be taken up by foreign workers who are willing to accept a lower wage.

Choked Causeway

The inability to create new job opportunities for Johoreans currently working in Singapore is one aspect of the dilemma faced by the state.

The other involves problems surrounding the arduous work commute Johoreans who work in Singapore face daily. The congestion at the Causeway has been in a bad state for many years now.

That being the case, recent news reports of deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof saying the government has formed a panel to tackle the congestion on the Johor Causeway are unsurprising.

The Causeway’s current capacity simply cannot meet the present daily travel demand. That demand has two main sources:

•  300,000 workers going in and out of Singapore daily, and
•  about 15,000 Malaysian lorries and another 500 from Thailand delivering their produce to Singapore daily.

Despite this, Malaysia should not rush into efforts to expand the road capacity without understanding critical underlying factors.

Singapore’s problems

First and foremost, let’s be clear about this. Blame for the congestion on both sides of the Causeway and the second crossing in Tuas lies entirely with Singapore.

Despite claiming to be technologically advanced, Singapore has chosen not to implement digital passports for Malaysian workers. It has also refused to set up dedicated lanes and waive strict border controls and stringent security protocols to expedite entry.

Instead, it appears to treat its Malaysian workforce with undue suspicion, something which does not help Singapore’s image.

Indeed, it is sad that Singapore, now a first world country, should subject its Malaysian workforce to such hardship.

The current processes and border control protocols are time consuming and have caused massive delays at all checkpoints.

Given that Singapore needs these workers to support its manufacturing and industrial sectors as well as other commercial activities, it is in that country’s best interests to facilitate a more efficient entry and exit for its Malaysian workforce.

The onus is therefore on Singapore to create an efficient and effective system which welcomes Malaysian workers. After all, Singapore needs them, not least because Malaysians are available at a substantially lower cost.

Importantly, Malaysian workers can return home daily, meaning that Singapore employers will not have to provide them with accommodation or a housing allowance. That reduces the total cost of employing Malaysians substantially.

In comparison, workers in every sector (apart from domestic helpers) who hail from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar must be given accommodation in Singapore.

Accommodation facilities in Singapore are costly to build or rent, as land is scarce and its costs high. It is a major disadvantage to the city state.

On the other hand, hiring Malaysians would bring employers substantial savings.

I strongly believe that Singapore will experience partial paralysis if Malaysians stopped going over to work there. Many of its industries and services are heavily reliant on Malaysians to make up their workforce. Without Malaysians, these businesses will not be able to function properly.

The Malaysian government would do well to take note of this in future negotiations with Singapore.

As Singapore stands to benefit more from plans to build new crossings or expand current ones, it must be made to pay for them.

New ferry routes

The congestion at the Causeway can easily be resolved by the provision of direct ferry services from multiple points in Johor.

Most Malaysian workers travel into and out of Singapore on motorcycles. Ferry services can easily be designed to carry these workers and their motorcycles. If implemented, workers from Johor would not have to travel all the way to the Causeway to cross over into Singapore.

Crowds at the Causeway will be substantially reduced with the availability of ferry crossings at the various points in Johor.

Many landing points can be created on both sides to facilitate movement.

In fact, several points in Johor and Singapore already possess basic infrastructure facilities which can be redesigned to meet this purpose at very little cost. These include:

•  Tanjung Langsat to Changi Point
•  Pasir Gudang to Punggol
•  Masai to Sembawang
•  Stulang to Woodlands
•  Danga to Kranji
•  Taman Laguna to Lim Chu Kang.

If necessary, these passages can be restricted so that they are only used for workers crossing over into Singapore.

Allowing ferry crossings will go a long way to resolving the congestion faced at both the Causeway and the Tuas crossing. However, both governments must show political will to make the proposal work.

The best part of the ferry crossing plan is that it is inexpensive and provides an immediate solution to a longstanding problem. It will eliminate time wasted at the existing choke points at both crossings.

The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) currently under construction will only be ready by end 2026 or early 2027. Despite costing Malaysia billions of ringgit, it will not provide a solution for bikers crossing over into Singapore.

None of this is rocket science to Singapore planners. However, what they need to understand is that this is a problem that continues to hurt its image.

Resolving it once and for all will put the city state in a better light. 0 FMT