PETALING JAYA: The sharing of information and intelligence between ministries as well as agencies must be constant to ensure the success of the Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), says a legal expert.
Prof Dr Salawati Mat Basir, who is an international law expert at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said sharing of communication is important to ensure that the newly-formed AKPS does not end up like the Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem), which was dissolved in 2021.
Aksem was formed on Dec 29, 2017, under the Malaysian Border Security Agency Act 2017 through the combined membership of three parent agencies, namely the police, Immigration Department and Customs Department.
“The problem with Malaysian ministries is that there is a lot of redundancy and there are those who feel superior, which led to the failure of Aksem,” she said.
She claimed that there was no exchange of information between the ministries then.
“If the authorities want to succeed, there has to be sharing of information. There should be no superiority complex among them as the main agenda is to protect our sovereignty, while the people involved should have a clear purpose of their duties,” she said in an interview.
She added that officers in AKPS must be well-trained for their specific tasks as threats at the borders can be complicated.
Among the main issues at the borders are smuggling and trafficking in persons via land and sea, Salawati noted.
She also said drug trafficking is now more prevalent at sea.
Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) defence and security expert Prof Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam said the human factor must be seriously considered, especially since corruption still remains an issue in government enforcement agencies.
He suggested that more investment be made in technology to complement the work carried out by officers.
“We need new mechanisms and technology with digitalised machinery to assist the agency’s work,” he said.
“However, no matter how good the system is, the integrity of the people working at the agencies is crucial.
“I have been told that some of the scanning machines at certain border complexes are not working properly. The authorities must ensure that they are in working condition,” Mohd Mizan said.
Lawyer Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos hopes there is no duplication of duties among agencies that would increase the cost of implementation of AKPS.
For example, he said there must be clarity between the duties of the Immigration Department and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
“How will AKPS be more effective when the Customs and the Immigration departments are in it?
“Why not improve these agencies instead by correcting their weaknesses and making them more effective?” he asked.
He also noted that integrity issues still exist in the enforcement agencies.
“Can AKPS address this issue more effectively?” he asked.
Now that these agencies are under one umbrella, Jahaberdeen said AKPS should be more effective in looking out for cases related to terrorism, smuggling and public health issues such as screening for infectious diseases among travellers.
