SHEDDING the negative image attached to the Home Affairs Ministry will take some time, said minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“It will take a bit of time to change the image that the Home Affairs Ministry has been branded with,” he said during a special interview in conjunction with Pakatan Harapan’s first anniversary, recently.

However, he is hopeful that the slow and steady process as well as measures such as reviewing the standard operating procedure of the police force will eventually pay off in restoring public confidence on the ministry.

The ministry is in charge of law enforcement and public order within the country’s borders. It oversees key security agencies linked to law and enforcement, population registration, immigration, management of society, printing press and others.

However, the ministry has been plagued by allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Former minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is facing 45 charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.

He had been accused of receiving kickbacks for awarding contracts to companies while he was helming the ministry, among a host of other accusations.

Graft cases involving police and immigration officers have also made headlines time and again.

The ministry had also been linked to awarding unscrupulous contracts to companies. For example, the cost for the RM3.5 billion national immigration control system (SKIN) project awarded by the previous government is said to be inflated.

However, the contract was axed following a cabinet decision late last year.

Muhyiddin said the current government has no intention of extending any unscrupulous contracts awarded by the previous government.

“I always remind my officers of their responsibilities. We are here to serve the people and serve them at the very best,” he said.

He said he has always set a certain standard for his officers’ performance.

“I always set a certain standard while serving the government under various ministries. It should not just be excellence; if possible (their performance) should be par excellence.”

He added that meetings are often held to discuss matters related to performance.

Taking on a ‘prevention better than cure’ approach, the ministry is also looking at ways to avert crisis instead of acting on it after it has unfolded.

Muhyiddin said instead of just subjecting offenders to harsh enforcement actions, it is also important to ensure that situations are handled by the ministries’ agencies in a humane and correct manner.

He added that, similar to his cabinet colleagues, his key performance index involves fighting corruption. – May 6, 2019.