Minimise human touch to stop graft, says group


PETALING JAYA: Automation and digital technology have to be adopted in enforcement agencies to prevent corruption that becomes prevalent when human intervention is prevent, says Transparency International Malaysia.

Its president Dr Muhammad Mohan said the fundamental issue was that officers were still resorting to corruption despite having systems and controls in place.

“The controls and checks become ineffective if they can be easily bypassed, as bribes worth thousands are paid,” he said yesterday.

He was speaking after the latest case which saw officers from the Customs Department at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) being arrested over vape smuggling.

The recent counter-setting incident was also another example of corruption, but involving Immigration Department officers.

“The government should conduct a comprehensive study to find out the root causes of the system’s failure.

“The arrests are no solution. We will see a repeat of similar cases in a year’s time if the root causes are not addressed,” he said.

He said automation and latest digital technology should be adopted to minimise human intervention in cargo inspection.

Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) senior education officer and anti-smoking activist NV Subbarow expressed shock, saying the incident involving the smuggling of vape was a health and safety issue.

“Those involved the vape smuggling must be charged in the court and sternly punished.

“They have sold the health and well-being of young Malaysians just for money,” he said yesterday.

Based on CAP’s recent survey, most vape smokers were youths, with some starting as young as eight.

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