“I understand that the health minister had discussions recently with his Singapore counterpart via phone on a proposal to reopen the border between Singapore and Malaysia.

“I hope this matter can be resolved soon because both countries need the border reopening,” he told the Dewan Rakyat in his winding-up speech on the King’s address today.

Saifuddin added that should the proposal be accepted by both governments, Putrajaya could explore the idea of reopening Malaysia’s borders with other countries, such as Thailand.

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Independent-Muar) also urged the government to show some empathy toward families and couples who had been separated since the pandemic struck.

He said the immigration department’s MyTravelPass system was too bureaucratic, adding that some couples were going through mental health issues while others were even contemplating divorce.

Saifuddin replied that he sympathised with the predicament these couples were in, adding that the matter had been raised at the Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet meeting chaired by senior minister for security Hishammuddin Hussein.

“I understand… because some of them have been separated from their loved ones since the pandemic struck. I will see how we can overcome this problem,” said the minister.

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