Path to tighter border security

AS the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) enters its second year of operations, a review of its performance is timely.

An agency under the Home Affairs Ministry, it is entrusted with the duty of strengthening border security and preventing smuggling operations by consolidating personnel and functions spread across multiple agencies.

Under the leadership of Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, former director of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department, MCBA currently manages 22 border checkpoints nationwide. According to reports, it centralised border enforcement, improved coordination and disrupted smuggling activities during its first year.

However, it still faces major challenges in achieving its mandate due to manpower issues, legacy practices, weak accountability, under-equipped personnel and outdated technology.

Among others, 18 MCBA officers were arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport over alleged counter setting, and the Kelantan police chief has warned that the porous Sungai Golok border with Thailand faces growing security risks.

Before MCBA was established, anti-smuggling operations were coordinated by the Counter Smuggling Unit, which operated at key border points such as Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah), Padang Besar (Perlis) and Sungai Golok (Kelantan).

However, its success was limited due to poor coordination, overlapping responsibilities and poor intelligence-sharing across the multiple agencies that handled border security.

Drawing on firsthand experience in border regions, including at Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, and five years in Perlis as the state’s Anti-Corruption Agency director, I previously highlighted gaps between border policy objectives and on-the-ground realities, underscoring the need for practical, field-informed adjustments.

One key area requiring urgent attention is human resource. Currently, MCBA officers are drawn from other enforcement agencies such as Customs, Immigration and police.

As far back as 2010, I had suggested the recruitment of new officers to fight smuggling rather than relying on officers transferred from existing enforcement bodies. Transferred officers often retain previous loyalties, cultures and practices, which can undermine command, accountability and reform.

In contrast, new recruits would be more adaptable to the agency’s systems, technology and accountability. This supports long-term institutional integrity without the need to unlearn conflicting legacy practices.

This single action can have an immediate impact in fostering stronger teamwork, professionalism and field-based training while ensuring commitment to MCBA rather than to former agencies.

Fresh officers should be subjected to thorough background checks, provided training in modern enforcement techniques as well as basic laws and border-specific protocols (border inspection, customs procedures and anti-smuggling operations), and given intelligence analyses and refresher courses to keep up with evolving threats.

Random integrity testing should also be conducted to ensure ethical standards are consistently upheld. Having fresh officers will also help in building a culture of integrity and accountability within MCBA.

Additionally, the government should create a robust legal framework that cuts redundancy, strengthens oversight, fosters a conducive workplace and equips MCBA with advanced technology to tackle complex border security challenges.

Although establishing a dedicated workforce and acquiring modern assets involve significant costs, these expenses can be quickly offset by the savings realised through the reduction of smuggling activities.

MCBA’s mandate is to cripple smuggling activities that cost the country billions of ringgit. As it enters its second year of operations, it should be run as a fully unified agency with its own professionally recruited officers and strong institutional integrity to enable it to respond effectively to emerging border security threats.

DATUK SERI DR AKHBAR SATAR

President

Malaysia Integrity and Governance Society