THE onus is on civil servants to uphold the integrity of their office and be held responsible in cases of graft, said Kedah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director Shaharom Nizam Abd Manap.

Shaharom told The Malaysian Insight that in the case of tour operators paying their way across Kedah’s Bukit Kayu Hitam border with RM10 bribes, the fault lies with the border officers.

“Integrity must be there in every civil servant. If they have high levels of integrity, bribery will not take place and, in fact, they will catch the offenders and hand them to the MACC,” he said.

“Members of the public will always look for an easy way out by bribing civil servants.

“Every civil servant is aware that it is a felony to give and receive bribes but only a handful are willing to lodge reports.”

The agency has yet to receive any official report on the practice of tour operators bribing border security personnel in their bid to save time.

However, the department has received several public tip-offs and officers have also conducted undercover checks.

“We are aware of the incidences. The problem we face is getting the cooperation from all parties for us to take action against those involved in this practice.

“From time to time, we will conduct checks along the border,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Border Security Agency (Aksem) commander Abd Latif Abdul Rahman told The Malaysian Insight yesterday that while his agency has been cracking down on corruption among officers, tour operators continued to encourage such practices.

He was responding to a report by The Malaysian Insight about tour buses and vans being given easy passage for a RM10 bribe per vehicle.

The tour operators interviewed said they were forced to pay, or risk having their vehicles stalled for inspection which could sometimes take hours. Up to 150 tour buses go through the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint daily.

Latif blamed the practice on the tour operators themselves, whom he said were keen to continue bribing officers.

“Those who are giving the money are the ones who are really destroying the country. Prevention should start with the giver. These operators are like termites, destroying the nation slowly.”

Aksem comprises the police, Customs, Immigration, National Kenaf and Tobacco Board, Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services and others. – June 27, 2019.