PUTRAJAYA – The Home Ministry today disclosed that it has received a report on the existence of cartel activities involving Immigration Department personnel in relation to immigration matters, said its minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
He said the cartel’s involvement was not only related to promotions in the Immigration Department, but it (the cartel) was also said to have used immigration officers for its benefit.
According to him, one of his deputies, Datuk Jonathan Yasin, had said that, in Sabah, there were advertisements offering Temporary Employment Visit Pass issuance services and it should not have happened because the Immigration Department had never appointed any agent for any immigration matters.
“Investigations will be made transparently to identify the officers involved (with the cartel activities) and if there are any, we will take action against those who abuse their power,” he told a press conference after attending the 2021 Immigration Day celebration, here today.
Earlier in his speech, Hamzah said there were cartel members who were able to freely enter and exit the Immigration Department, and that there were also cartel members who sat at airports and national entry points.
He said the existence of the cartel in the Immigration Department has tarnished its reputation of the department, which always received the best ranking in immigration services at international airports – this year, Kuala Lumpur International Airport got fourth place in Skytrax’s ranking of the World’s Best Airport Immigration Service 2021.
“If we just go to Google, the issue of Malaysian immigration, the most important are cases of corruption and integrity. This is something I ask everyone to prevent from happening and understand that our responsibility is to protect the country.
“If they (cartels) can easily enter, if we can sell whatever we have easily, then we are not safeguarding our country’s sovereignty,” he said.
Hamzah said the use of modern technology and advanced assets such as automation, digitalisation, robotics, analytic CCTV, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence could stem the emergence of cartels or syndicates that could damage the image of immigration authorities as it could reduce instances that required direct contact between immigration officials and customers. – Bernama, December 1, 2021
