MEMBERS and officers of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency have been warned against allowing greed to compromise their integrity and undermine national interests, amid mounting challenges in safeguarding the country’s borders.
The agency’s director-general, Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, said officers must reflect on historical lessons, drawing parallels with the Hikayat Hang Nadim, which recounts how the once-formidable city of Melaka fell after traitors opened its gates from within.
He noted that Malay history also recorded instances where local chieftains, backed by Chinese kapitan, were embroiled in power struggles for the throne.
“If in the past secret societies were led by their respective kapitans, today smuggling syndicates are far more difficult to detect because they are highly cunning and adept at infiltrating the nation’s administrative system,” he said.
He warned officers not to repeat the mistakes of past Malay kingdoms and, in a modern context, not to sell out Malaysia to foreign elements out of personal greed.
“Do not repeat the same mistakes in the history of the old Malay kingdoms and in today’s modern context, do not trade away our homeland Malaysia to external elements simply because of your own greed.
“This land has fallen before and lost sultanates that were once admired by the world. There are still nine Malay royal lineages that we must protect for the sake of religion, race and country,” he said while delivering an address to AKPS officers here today.
Mohd Shuhaily said greed was the root cause of moral collapse, eventually leading individuals to sell not only themselves but also their country.
He added that shortcomings highlighted by the mass media were often the result of the greed of certain parties, stressing that all AKPS personnel must distance themselves from such traits and remain grateful for what God has entrusted to them.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the ongoing process of taking over 98 additional entry points nationwide, involving manpower and assets, had placed considerable pressure on his team, particularly those on the ground.
He said he was also aware that officers seconded from various other agencies might still feel a strong attachment to their original organisations, despite being formally assigned to AKPS.
“They may be worried about their own futures, especially when they are forced to work under a leader regarded as the most ‘cengey’ (fierce) in the Royal Malaysia Police and perhaps also within the Home Ministry.
“In reality, I am also a civil servant entrusted to carry out the government’s aspirations, which are deemed necessary for the sovereignty and a better, more secure future for the nation.
“As a leader, my responsibility is heavier and more challenging in asking all of you from six different organisations to devote yourselves to one unfamiliar and newly formed agency, the AKPS,” he said. - February 3, 2026
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