IMMIGRATION: NO COMPROMISE ON ‘HAND-RAISING’ CULTURE AT ICQS

By Muhammad Afiq Mohd Asri

KOTA BHARU, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Immigration Department has stressed that there will be no compromise in the discharge of duties at the country’s entry points, including practices such as the ‘hand-raising’ culture that could jeopardise national security.

Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said based on its records, no official reports had been received regarding allegations of such practices at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex along the Malaysia-Thailand border, including during peak periods.

“However, if any immigration officer is found to be involved in such practices, the department will not hesitate to take firm action in accordance with the relevant acts and regulations,” he told Bernama recently.

Zakaria did not rule out the possibility that such practices could occur at any border entry point and urged the public to lodge reports directly with the department to enable investigations and further action to be taken.

He also stressed that all travellers, whether Malaysian citizens or foreigners, are required to present their passports or border passes during immigration checks to ensure their movements are recorded, as stipulated under Section 6 of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

“There is no such thing as a small compromise. Every act of ‘hand-raising’, however trivial it may seem, is the beginning of a chain of leakages that could lead to disaster, including opening the door to organised crime syndicates and elements that can threaten national security,” he said.

He said integrity is not merely a matter of rules; it is the country’s final line of defence, and all procedures must be carried out strictly in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the law.

At the same time, Zakaria also acknowledged that officers with high integrity at ICQS complexes face pressure from external parties and syndicates attempting to influence their duties.

“These officers are the first line of defence in combating the ‘hand-raising’ culture. The pressure to compromise is real, and it is recognised by the department’s management as a major operational challenge,” he said.

Bernama earlier reported that crime analyst Shahul Hamid Abdul Rahim described lax border controls, including individuals being allowed to enter via special ICQS lanes by merely raising their hands without valid documents, as deeply concerning, as such practices could open the door to criminal activities, smuggling and pose a threat to national security.

He said such practices not only violate procedures but also breach the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155) governing entry, stay and exit from the country, as well as the Passport Act 1966 (Act 150), which covers passport ownership and the presentation of travel documents by individuals entering or leaving Malaysia.

In November last year, Bernama reported that police arrested eight individuals, including a civil servant at the Rantau Panjang ICQS Complex in Pasir Mas, for crossing the Malaysia-Thailand border without valid travel documents by merely raising their hands while passing through the complex.

All eight individuals, who were travelling in two luxury vehicles, were detained by officers from the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency while en route from Sungai Golok, Thailand, to Kelantan.

-- BERNAMA