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By Chris Bishop and Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 5: Action must be taken to punish and weed out the “bad apples” at all entry points into the country including ports and borders in Sarawak and Sabah, because the eyes of the world are watching Malaysia.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah emphasised that the positive action taken by relevant authorities in response to the recent revelations of alleged corruption and abuse of power by enforcement agencies by Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing are crucial in preventing any harm to the country’s reputation and services.
“If the allegations of corruption or power abuse are proven true, it is imperative that the relevant authorities take strong measures to nip these unethical practices in the bud and stop all this nonsense, whether in KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) or any points of entry into the country, be it ports or borders, including in Sarawak and Sabah.
“However, if no actions are taken despite some truth to the reports of tourists being bullied or mistreated or money being asked to enter the country, then it may have a detrimental impact on the country’s tourism,” he told a press conference at his Ministry’s office at Baitulmakmur Building II today.
While Abdul Karim expressed that he was not overly concerned about tourist arrivals, especially from China, to Sarawak or Malaysia, he believed that other countries are monitoring the actions taken by Malaysia authorities, in this age of social media where news spreads fast.
“If we act positively, I believe the tourists intending to visit Malaysia will appreciate the efforts,” he said.
Acknowledging that there are some bad apples all over the place whether in the Immigration Department, police force and others, Abdul Karim stressed that action must be taken against those who have committed wrongdoing.
“Nip them in the bud because they do not deserve to be in public service. Charge them if necessary. We need to have a clean government,” he added.
Abdul Karim expressed confidence in the relevant authorities such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police, trusting that they are conducting thorough investigations following Tiong’s alleged intervention to help a female Chinese national who encountered issues with immigration officers at KLIA on arrival last Thursday.
Tiong’s intervention has also shed light on alleged corrupt activities involving a few officials within the country’s main gateway.
“I am eagerly awaiting the outcome of these investigations, whether the Minister went beyond his authority in barging into a security area while attempting to free a Chinese national who was detained for 15 hours in KLIA.
“If indeed an offense was committed, then action should be taken. But we also have to look into the other allegations exposed by him (Tiong) on abuse of power and corruption among the officers,” he added. — DayakDaily
