PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) has intensified efforts to curb "counter setting" activities at the country's entry points by implementing stricter personnel vetting and policy reforms.
AKPS director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain (pic) said that the agency drafted a policy to ensure only officers with clean disciplinary records are deployed at border posts.
"As a new agency involving personnel from Immigration, Customs and other departments, we've inherited legacy issues. We aim to break that cycle through proper screening," he told reporters on Thursday (July 24).
Counter setting, a term for illicit dealings at immigration counters, has long been a concern, and Shuhaily mentioned that policy support and internal cooperation were crucial to addressing it.
In a related development, a male Immigration officer in his early 30s was arrested on Thursday after he was found with nearly RM8,000 in cash and three mobile phones, allegedly in breach of internal directives.
The officer, with only four years in service, was handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Selangor and is being investigated under Section 17A of the MACC Act.
"This is someone with 30 years of service ahead. Unfortunately, the lack of a swift mechanism to terminate such officers remains a major challenge," Shuhaily commented.
He also noted public misconceptions about disciplinary procedures, with many assuming corrupt officers are simply transferred.
However, he asserted that civil servants are entitled to due process, which takes time.
Shuhaily proposed a more efficient mechanism to remove corrupt public servants, but said the matter must be reviewed legally with the Attorney General's Chambers, Public Services Department and other stakeholders. – Bernama
