KUCHING, May 1: Tourism, Arts, and Culture (Motac) Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing requests that Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail urge the Immigration Department’s director-general and secretary-general to resolve the issue of tourists entering Malaysia as soon as possible.
Tiong stated in a Facebook post yesterday (Apr 30) that he visited the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) in Selangor in the morning and discovered that there are still problems at the country’s entry point due to the old system’s inability to operate and respond quickly, resulting in the entry process of travellers being relatively slow.
He also stated that the system failure at the immigration counter, which is still under maintenance, is disappointing and that it has been a month since the counter was emptied, but maintenance work has yet to begin.
Tiong pointed out that the situation is extremely upsetting to the general public, particularly consumers.
“Therefore, I appeal to the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN), especially the Honourable Minister, to urge the secretary-general and director-general of the Immigration Department to find a solution as soon as possible to this issue.
“We must address this issue because the time factor or the process of tourist entry into the country must run smoothly to maintain the country’s image in the eyes of the world,” he stressed.
Furthermore, Tiong, also Bintulu MP, reiterated that when recruiting officers, diversity and compatibility must be taken into account to ensure that the officers can speak multiple languages fluently and facilitate communication between diverse ethnic groups such as Indians, Chinese, Ibans, Kadazans, and others.
However, he said that the overall efficiency of the Immigration Department’s team, which is increasing compared to the beginning of last year, is commendable and worthy of praise.
“I also urge KLIA operators to expedite the installation of immigration counters. A group of officers undergoing training will be assigned to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and KLIA2 once they complete (their training).
“They must be immediately placed at the counter after completing the training to improve the overall efficiency of the Immigration Department’s operation at the country’s entrance,” he added. — DayakDaily
