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THE Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) has called on the Immigration Department to adopt far more stringent and uncompromising measures as corruption and integrity breaches continue to dog the agency, warning that entrenched “temptations” within the system must be eradicated before meaningful reform can take hold.
IIM President and Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Ahmad Ramdzan Daud, said the persistent integrity problems plaguing the department stem from “temptations” that have never been addressed at their root. He argued that the long-standing practice of reassigning implicated officers or relying on technological upgrades is destined to fail without robust and consistent internal oversight.
“Actually, issues involving immigration such as ‘counter setting’ have already been discussed at the highest levels of government, and IIM itself has previously stated that even if those officers are removed and replaced with others, even if the replacements possess strong religious education, the problem will not be resolved.
“The ‘temptation’ still exists, and the same issues (integrity breaches and corruption) will continue to occur. Therefore, those ‘temptations’ must be eliminated by the agency,” he said after launching the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Campaign (KIAR).
He added that although the Government has introduced automation systems, the crucial element of firm internal supervision remains weak.
“The Government has implemented automation systems, but the aspect of supervision within the Immigration Department (JIM) must be emphasised.
“In any organisation, if rules are in place but there is no proper supervision, misconduct will still occur,” he said.
Also present at the launch were the President of IKRAM Malaysia, Badlishah Sham Baharin, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Director of Community Education, Datuk Ahmad Nizam Ismail.
The call for tougher internal control comes amid a string of high-profile enforcement actions. On Wednesday, ten Immigration enforcement personnel were detained by the MACC on suspicion of involvement in corruption linked to the Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK).
A retired civil servant was also arrested in the Klang Valley under a special operation known as Ops Bleach.
The latest arrests follow Ops Rentas earlier this year, during which at least 31 individuals were taken into custody, including 19 enforcement officers stationed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2.
Ops Dygo subsequently revealed a separate case involving an Immigration officer and his wife, who were allegedly amassing illicit wealth through their role in a counter-setting syndicate facilitating the unlawful entry of foreign nationals.
Commenting further on the nature of these “temptations”, Ahmad Ramdzan said syndicates and criminals will continually seek out “those who can offer them benefit”, particularly frontline officers.
“That is why I emphasise that the supervision of public agencies must be carried out effectively and correctly, because these temptations are constantly seeking targets, especially enforcement personnel who serve as frontliners,” he said.
He cautioned high-risk agencies not to rely exclusively on the MACC for enforcement. “We cannot expect the MACC to be everywhere. It is impossible, and the MACC has already appointed Integrity Unit Chiefs to help public agencies carry out proper supervision.”
He stressed that punitive measures alone are insufficient.
“At the same time, we cannot rely solely on enforcement and legal punishment in the long term. We must strengthen education, which forms the values that need to be built before a person enters university, school, and later the working world,” he said. - November 16, 2025