1st Update: Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail CIQ (New Johor Bahru Custom)

December 18th, 2008 lawrence.gan

By James (Singaporean non-driver)

I was taking the bus across the causeway on the 17th Dec 2008 at 10pm towards Johor Bahru. After getting my passport scanned at the Singapore custom, the first thing that came to my mind was: “How am I going to get to the new Johor CIQ complex/Custom? What is going to happen? How is it going to look like?

After a 10mins wait, I finally got onto bus 170 and my ride across the causeway started. The bus actually drove pass the old JB custom via the car lanes/ pass the old security check area and towards the one directional road leading to the new custom. All motor vehicles and motorcycles will follow this route as well. I wonder how long it is going to take before they tear down the old custom. Some of the passengers, seemingly unaware that the new Johor custom is actually operational starts to panic due to this change in route and frantically presses the bus bell. These are ignored by the bus driver, who has probably got used to this behaviour.

The first thing that strikes me as Bus 170 drives toward the new checkpoint is security. It is quite a distance from the old custom to the new CIQ complex and between this distance, the road is surrounded by just wire meshes at the sides. There are no noticeable security cameras in sight as well. It is potentially easy for someone to get off a vehicle at night, cut the meshing and make his way illegally into Malaysia, bypassing the new JB custom altogether . Well, not that this risk is higher compared to the old custom but my expectations are perhaps higher as I though there would be some improvements here.

Usually, a bus ride towards Johor custom will take just 2 minutes during a weekday night like this. However, just before the bus reaches the slope where there is almost a U-turn, there is a jam. Many people are looking out of the bus window at this time and you can really hear some people at the back shouting “bodoh!” impatiently. After a 3minutes wait while the bus still does not moves, people start to ring the doorbell again. The bus driver acquiesce this time round and open the bus doors for passengers to alight.

Upon alighting, you can see the new Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail CIQ clearly. It is has a modern and yet distinct Malaysian look (probably due to the green lights). The bus passengers who had alighted starts to walk towards the custom. At this point, the buses in front starts to move so we are actually sandwiched between the buses in front and Bus 170 behind. This is quite a funny sight actually as it resembles a funeral procession, with many people following the buses in front.

 After getting to the bus alighting booth, we made our way up the escalator towards the immigrant booth. Upon getting to the second level where you stamp your passport, I got a very pleasant surprise. The area is at least 4 times bigger than the old one. In addition, it is fully air-conditioned! Lane 1-8 are reserved for Malaysian passport while Lane 9-16 are for foreigners (and Singaporeans like me). This IS definitely an improvement.

In case you do not have your white card with you, do not fret. There is also a writing area at the back of the immigrant hall where you can get new white card/forms to fill up. Pens provided too!

My turn to get the passport stamped. As I approaches the immigration booth, I cannot help but feel happy for those guys stamping my passport. They have a proper booth and a bigger work area. Not sure if they look awkward in such open environment but they still spot old uniforms (Ok ok.. the only thing NEW is the custom). Some of their ranks (Stripes) at the shoulders more grey then white as usual but you do spot more higher ranking officers around too (those with a circular icon at their shoulders). Anyway, the guy clearing me more than did his usual job of stamping my passport. He stamped twice. One is the usual Malaysian stamp, the other is the last date I am allowed to linger in Malaysia: 15th Jan 2009 (About 28 days).  Not that I intend to stay that long anyway.

After getting myself cleared, I pass the immigration booth and looked back. Suddenly, something came to my realisation. My Malaysian friends can no longer just flash their Malaysian passport (and sometimes just the cover only) and breeze through the custom. They have to either use thumbprint clearance or queue up for manual clearance. This is going to make it harder for Malaysian workers but a necessary process I guess.

I was hustled along by one of the security guard to leave the area and I started to make my way towards the bus stop to catch my bus to Larkin terminal. Apparently, the custom is linked to City Square (yes, you can walk fully sheltered from the Johor Custom to City Square in 3 minutes) but I did not bother to check it out as it was late and I wanted to get to my Malaysia home fast. It is already 11pm, an hour trip that usually take 20minutes.

Somehow, it did not felt like an hour has passed, probably because I am kept sufficiently occupied by the new sights around me. Well, I am sure that I will be oblivious to all these news things soon and when that time comes and if I still need to wait one hour, I will probably do what Singaporeans do best.. complain!

Ratings:
Cleanliness:        5/5 (Its new, what do you expect?)
Comfort:              4.5/5 (Fully air conditioned!)
Speed:                   2.5/5 (It is really slower compared to the past)
Security:              3/5 (Slight security improvement compared to the past)
Convenience:   4/5 (It is a longer walk to board buses and taxis but still reasonable).

Entry Filed under: New Johor Bahru Custom/CIQ Complex