Immigration Department to Implement Workplace Rotation to Dismantle Violators' Syndicate, Deputy Interior Minister Says

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 22 — Workplace rotation for immigration staff will be implemented immediately, especially for those who have served in one location for more than three years, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.

He said job rotation will be one of six reform measures introduced by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) to dismantle syndicates involved in the arrival of foreigners through the modus operandi of “countermeasure”.

In a post on his official Facebook page, he said the affected officers have been identified and their transfer orders will be implemented in phases to ensure that daily operations at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) are not affected.

He said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) covering security screening of entrances, management of security buffers and inspection of visitors, will be reviewed and improved to eliminate opportunities for officers to manipulate or exploit the system.

“The third measure taken by the JIM is to strengthen supervision and monitoring, including spot checks on group leaders and officers, to ensure that compliance will be ensured on an ongoing basis by integrity officers and supervisors,” he said.

Shamsul Anuar said other measures to be taken included improving the system to enable monitoring of daily transactions to detect any irregularities and installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at strategic locations.

He said strategic cooperation will be strengthened with other law enforcement agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) and other agencies from time to time.

On September 18, the MACC listed 11 major weaknesses involving the JIM, thus providing opportunities for unions to bring in foreigners using the modus operandi of “counter-attack.”

Issues identified include laxity in some aspects of internal control while on duty, resulting in immigration officers being easily approached by union officers and unsystematic rotation of workplace for immigration officers on duty at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2. — Bernama