Mr Onn Hafiz also announced that foreigners will soon be able to use e-gates for automated immigration processing.
“The immigration department will expand the use of e-gates for foreigners. This will reduce congestion at BSI,” said Mr. Onn Hafiz.
He also highlighted that the state government is studying the feasibility of allowing light vehicles to use the lorry lanes “as an alternative route” during peak hours.
“This will involve upgrading of counters for the convenience of car drivers,” he added.
In his speech, Mr Onn Hafiz said that the reopening of land borders between Malaysia and Singapore has benefitted Johor immensely.
He said that in 2022, Johor attracted RM60.9 billion (US$13.82 billion) in investments, the highest among all the states in Malaysia. He added that unemployment in Johor also dipped from 4 per cent in the third quarter of 2021 to 2.5 per cent in 2022, the lowest among all states.
The 2023 state budget, which is themed “Onward Johor: Prosperity with the people”, is expected to yield a surplus, said the chief minister.
Johor’s revenue for 2023 is expected to be RM1.73418 billion while its expenditure is slated to be RM1.73174 billion, yielding a net surplus of around RM2.44 million.
This comes after two years of budget deficit in the southern state.
