ONLY a small group of Immigration Department officers who are set in their ways are linked to corruption, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

While addressing the staff at the Prime Minister’s Department, Anwar said stern action would be taken immediately against those involved in graft

Anwar said he had personally visited the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to assess the situation following claims that the Immigration officers there were corrupt.

“All the Immigration counters were working, which meant the majority of the Immigration staff were doing their jobs well but we are also aware, and I have often stressed, that there is a small group of people who are familiar with the old system and practices,” he said.

Anwar made a surprise visit to KLIA yesterday following an incident involving a Chinese traveller and a minister who alleged corruption at the arrival hall.

In his speech today, Anwar said high-ranking government officials should seek to correct problems instead of finding fault or criticising

“I believe that this is the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and it should act.

“Although the number is small, there must be strong and decisive action, otherwise it will damage the image of the administration.”

He said he observed during his visit that the Immigration, Customs and police counters were working smoothly.

“However, there were seven Customs scanning machine at the entry point but only one is working.

“If there is a weakness and it costs only a few million (ringgit to rectify it), we can approve (the funds) immediately.”

On Friday, Tourism, Arts and Cultural Minister Tiong King Sing was accused of breaching security protocols at KLIA and abusing his position when he allegedly forced his way past Immigration to “rescue” a tourist who had been detained overnight.

Tiong said the episode exposed corruption among KLIA officials and that the Chinese tourist was not the first to receive such treatment upon arrival Malaysia.

In response, MACC chief Azam Baki said investigators will meet with Tiong and the Chinese national today to listen to their side of the story. – July 3, 2023.