PUTRAJAYA: The government will finalise the establishment of a single national border agency soon, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.
“The matter will be finalised at a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Cabinet.
“It will be discussed in the near future,” he told reporters after the jubilee celebration for the national registration department (JPN) here today.
On Oct 13, Anwar said a single border agency was due to be set up, with RM20 million in funding for maintenance, repair and procurement of assets at the country’s entry points.
He said the establishment of the agency is part of an initiative to enhance the level of national defence and security readiness.
Anwar also announced an increase in the 2024 budget allocation to the defence ministry by RM2 billion to RM19.7 billion.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin urged members of the home ministry to be prepared for the government’s decision on establishing a single border agency.
“Ministry staff must be ready with the understanding that, as (is the case) with any country in the world, security interests are of utmost importance in terms of border control and entry points,” he said.
