Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has requested the state’s immigration authorities to suspend its upgrading works, two days after the agency announced that some counters at the Sultan Iskandar Building immigration checkpoint’s bus zone will be closed in phases.

“I have requested that these works be deferred until the end of the school holidays,” Datuk Onn Hafiz said in a Facebook post on Dec 14, attaching a screenshot of a Straits Times report on the issue.

Manual counters and e-gates are among the areas that will undergo upgrading from Dec 15 until Jan 15, 2024, the Johor Immigration Office wrote in a Facebook post on Dec 12.

The department urged all travellers to plan their trips with the closure in mind during this period and ensure that their travel documents are valid before going to the immigration counter.

The notice from the Immigration Office came during the school holidays, when travel volume is higher than usual.

Mr Onn Hafiz’s request has been welcomed by commuters, who thanked him for his prompt action.

“Why of all time they choose (to do it during) the school holidays. Is there no other time to do it? Luckily Onn Hafiz Ghazi steps in... Thank you, sir,” commented Mr Alvin Pereira on the minister’s Facebook page.

Mr Chun Song Lee described Mr Onn’s move as a “wise decision”, expressing hopes that the contractor would be able to complete the upgrading works on time.

Malaysia is expected to receive 7.8 million visits by Singaporean tourists in 2023, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry said.

Singapore is currently the highest contributor to tourist arrivals in Malaysia, with more than 4.5 million arrivals recorded up to July 2023.

Malaysia announced in December that foreign travellers will be required to fill up the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card from Jan 1, 2024.

Exemptions have been made for Singaporeans, diplomatic passport holders, Malaysian permanent residents, Brunei General Certificate of Identity holders and Thailand Border Pass holders.