In her latest column, theSun Executive Editor Azura Abas urges Malaysians to exercise common sense and personal responsibility to avoid being exploited as international drug mules.
AH, the airport K9 unit. If your social media feed looks anything like mine lately, you have probably seen those viral clips of airport K9 units looking like absolute bosses – those four-legged professionals who arrive at work looking considerably more focused than most of us on Monday mornings. No drama, no office politics and no endless meetings. Just nose to the ground, tail doing its thing and a very serious message from the human handler: Go find trouble.
And increasingly, we are seeing them doing exactly that – sniffing out drugs and other contraband at our airports.
Makcik understands why. Because lately we have been reading far too many reports of Malaysians getting arrested overseas in connection with drug smuggling. Some may knowingly have stepped into the business. Others may have been manipulated, deceived or simply spectacularly naive.
And this is where perhaps we need to pause before reaching for the giant moral hammer. Not every person caught carrying drugs is necessarily some criminal mastermind sitting in a dark room plotting the downfall of civilisation.
Sometimes, there is poverty. Sometimes, greed. Sometimes, desperation. Sometimes, the promise of quick money makes people temporarily forget the ancient wisdom known as: “If it sounds too good to be true, probably jangan buat.”
And sometimes, there is plain, painful naivety.
“Can you help me bring this bag?”
“Sure-lah, why not?”
Congratulations. You have just volunteered to become the unpaid international logistics department of someone you barely know. Please collect your complimentary handcuffs at the destination.
There is also another uncomfortable factor we should not ignore. A Malaysian passport is a valuable travel document and Malaysians enjoy relatively easy access to many countries. That is something to appreciate – and something criminals can potentially exploit.
The smuggler does not need to look suspicious if they can persuade an ordinary Malaysian to do the travelling for them. That is the bit we need to understand. The drug mule may be the person carrying the bag but the person behind the bag may be sitting comfortably somewhere else, drinking teh tarik and waiting for their shipment to arrive.
And when everything goes wrong? Suddenly the poor runner discovers that their “friend” has become remarkably difficult to contact. Last seen somewhere between WhatsApp and the international criminal justice system.
So yes, by all means let the police, customs officers and other authorities do their jobs. Let the K9 units sniff, search and stare down suspicious luggage with the intensity of a makcik discovering someone who has taken the last kuih.
But Malaysians also have a responsibility. We have to protect ourselves. Do not carry a parcel for someone you barely know. Do not accept luggage that you did not pack yourself. Do not allow somebody else to tell you: “Don’t worry, nothing inside.”
And please, for the love of nasi lemak, do not assume that because somebody smiles nicely and calls you bro, sis or dear, they are automatically trustworthy. Criminals are not required to wear black coats and twirl moustaches. Some are perfectly charming. That is precisely why they are dangerous.
And this is where Makcik delivers her gentle lempang – not the Bukit Aman variety. The “come here, sit down, drink some water and listen to Makcik before you make a very expensive mistake” variety. Because the best defence against drug mules is not only more police; it is fewer Malaysians willing to become drug mules in the first place.
Our authorities can patrol, inspect, investigate and deploy K9 units. But they cannot personally accompany every Malaysian traveller to every airport, hotel and suspicious-looking suitcase on Planet Earth.
At some point, personal responsibility has to enter the departure hall. And perhaps our K9 friends deserve a little consideration too. Imagine spending your working life sniffing out drugs because humans keep creating more work for you. These dogs are highly trained professionals doing an important job.
But really, people – must we keep giving them additional homework because somebody decided that carrying a stranger’s mysterious suitcase was a brilliant career move? The poor dog is just trying to do its job.
Meanwhile, somewhere nearby, a human is thinking: “Aiyo, surely nothing one-lah.”
Please. The dog has better judgement. So let us not simply point fingers at those caught and declare them fools. Let us ask the more useful questions.
How were they recruited? What made them vulnerable? What promises were made? What pressures were they facing? And how can we stop the next person from being persuaded?
Because prevention is always better than discovering the lesson after the police have already put you in a room and your holiday itinerary has suddenly become a court appearance.
This is not about pretending Malaysians are angels; we are not. We have our share of fools, greedy people, reckless people and people who apparently left their common sense at KLIA.
But neither should we imagine that every victim of a drug-smuggling operation deliberately chose the consequences.
Some may have made terrible decisions. Some may have been deceived. Some may have been exploited. Some may have known exactly what they were doing.
Whatever the circumstances, the lesson for the rest of us remains the same: Don’t carry it. Don’t store it. Don’t transport it. Don’t accept suspicious packages. Don’t let strangers use your luggage.
And don’t let the promise of quick money turn your passport into a criminal courier service. Because once you cross that line, there may be no convenient “undo button”.
So yes, let the K9s do their jobs, let the police do theirs and let Customs do theirs. But Malaysians, let us do ours too – look after ourselves, look after our families and look after our friends.
If someone is about to make a dangerously stupid decision, tell them. Even if they roll their eyes. Even if they say you are paranoid. Even if they tell you, “Relax-lah.”
Be paranoid for five minutes rather than regretful for the rest of your life. Because winning the war against drugs is not going to happen through enforcement alone.
It starts when ordinary people collectively decide:
not my bag;
not my parcel;
not my luggage;
not my problem; and
definitely not my future.
Then perhaps our hardworking K9s can get through their shifts without having to clean up after yet another human being’s spectacular shortage of common sense.
Good dogs. Now, Malaysians – behave yourselves-lah.
Azura Abas is the executive editor of theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com