Serious disciplinary allegations at the JB CIQ

Mazlan: Serious disciplinary allegations at the CIQ

Officers surfing their handphones during working hours is among the complaints highlighted at the Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) here.

There are also some officers who turn up late for work, resulting in some counters in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex not opening on time.

This is the feedback that has reached the ears of Johor Works, Infrastructure and Transport committee chairman Mazlan Bujang.

To counter this, a special committee has been formed to look into the issues, including the possibility of having CCTV cameras at all Immi­gration booths at the CIQ.

“We need to improve the situation at the CIQ to ensure that we can help reduce congestion.

“And, there is no point in playing the blame game as many agencies operate at the CIQ,” said Mazlan.

He said there was a lack of CCTVs and more needed to be added to urgently boost security, adding that some RM90mil had been set aside for the CIQ’s maintenance.

“We need to look at long-term measures,” he said, adding that he recently paid a two-hour visit to the CIQ.

Recently, The Star reported that the state’s two land crossings with Singapore – the JB CIQ and the other CIQ at the Second Link – were in need of an urgent overhaul.

Among the issues highlighted included the need to have more manpower, gantries, speed breakers and CCTVs.

Besides the Immigration Depart­ment, the Customs Department is also facing problems as it does not have adequate scanning machines at both the CIQs, resulting in bottlenecks.

The scanners also often break down, causing jams.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Artist adds colour to streets

Artist adds colour to streets



For the love of art: Akeem posing in front of one of his artworks at Taman Saujana in Johor.

When Iskandar Noor Rahim caught his first glimpse of street art as a boy, he was hooked.

He wondered how a simple artwork painted on the wall could do so much in bringing life to an otherwise empty street.

“I have been painting since I was about five but back then, I only painted on canvas.

“Eventually, I taught myself to paint on walls and through a series of trial and error, I managed to train myself to be a street artist,” he said, adding that he had been doing it full time for about 13 years now.

He was also invited by the Kluang city council to paint Laman Kreatif and Laman Pesona in Kampung Masjid Lama, which has since become an iconic landmark among Johoreans.

Akeem said there was more appreciation for street art today with people starting to see how this could attract more visitors and make the town look more colourful.

“When I first started, not everyone welcomed the art form as many looked at it as vandalism.

“However, today, demand for street art is increasing and people have started inviting artists to paint on their walls,” said the 38-year-old.

Akeem said he had received invitations to paint on cafes, barber shops, schools and community centres in the past few years.

Akeem, who specialises in portraits and characters, said he preferred to use spray paint instead of brushes as he felt that this created better effects as well as allowed him to work faster.

“By using sprays, I am able to create effects and colour gradient that would have been difficult to achieve with a paint brush.

“Painting the wall is the easiest part of the process as I am already used to it. The real challenge is to come out with a sketch that is best suited for it,” he added.

~Courtesy of The Star~