The Friday incident at the international airport, where Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said that he got a call from the Consulate General of Malaysia in Guangzhou about the predicament faced by a woman, is an incident aptly to be described as equivalent to washing dirty linen in public, but this time around not nationally but internationally.
The courage and willingness of the Minister to take "the bull by the horns" must be praised and applauded.
There are multiple dimensions to the issue. There is an accusation of corruption by the immigration authorities which was always rumoured to be happening in different sections of the international airport for a long but not able to "see the light at the end of the tunnel". Only a courageous person like this Minister can act without fear or favour on the issue to come to the surface for the authorities to decide to investigate. International airport or any other entry point must be a place to welcome foreigners where they will feel at home. This reminds me of the incident of the Singaporean couple who were treated badly at the Woodlands checkpoint a few months ago. The arrogance and tendency to take bribes from tourists arriving by the front liners mending the entry point should be looked into if Malaysia wants to be a tourist destination.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said a probe has been launched to investigate corruption allegations. He said the public should not sensationalise or speculate on the matter. How can he stop the public from not speculating on the issue and incidents? With the advent of the internet, the public are no mere fools to receive and accept what being said and done by the authorities as other sources provide alternative narratives and perceptions. As the dictum goes, truth does not need to be dressed up, as where lies do!
Malaysia is considered as a corrupt country in Transparency International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, which scored out of the 180 countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), gave Malaysia a score of 47. If the government is not taking stern action but mere rhetoric against corruption, we may slide further, which will tarnish the image of Malaysia, affecting investment and more, bringing a chain reaction to the economy. "The devil is in the detail", which the government need to study meticulously to identify the culprits.
"How foolish and ignorant must a man be, how base his nature, and how vile the clay of which he is fashioned, if he would defile himself with the contamination of bribery, corruption and perfidy towards the state! Truly, the vermin of the earth are to be preferred to such people!" ‘Abdu’l-Baha
Let this incident be the tipping point to look into other corrupt activities which are going on at the international airport. We cannot expect a courageous person to act in this manner all the time to bring the dirt to the surface. There are many issues of corruption unreported in other sections of the airport. Hope the government uses this incident to look at the airport comprehensively to prevent corruption. As cancer spreads further, it brings about a domino effect on the country and its economy, which has a visible and tangible effect today with the past deeds of a few personalities of influence.
K.T.Maran
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