KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said he has held discussions with Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing over the latter’s accusations last week of abuse of power and corruption allegedly committed by Immigration officers.
Zahid said he would also speak to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail since the Immigration Department comes under the Home Ministry.
“The problem like this, I feel, can be amicably solved through the existing administrative system, and on Wednesday, we will bring the matter to the Cabinet, and I am sure he will give an explanation,” Zahid told a press conference after co-chairing the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development’s second coordination committee meeting with the Sarawak government here.
Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, had been asked for his opinion on Tiong’s decision to confront Immigration officers over the detention of a female Chinese national.
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He confirmed that he was at KLIA at the time as he had received a complaint from a tourist and wanted to understand the situation faced by foreign tourists when they arrive in Malaysia.
However, he denied the allegation that he had released a foreign tourist detained by Immigration, saying that he had no such power.
Tiong suggested that he, as a minister, took the complaint seriously because it was of national interest, as it could affect the nation’s image and scare away tourists.
He said he was grateful that his presence at the airport had now exposed the apparent existence of corruption among certain officers and the alleged chronic abuse of powers at Malaysia’s border checkpoints.
Explaining what had happened, Tiong said the female tourist had been detained without being told why, and that problems arose when the foreign tourist and Immigration officers had trouble communicating with each other.
Tiong claimed that the tourist was said to have complete documents, but a communication failure resulted in Immigration authorities being unable to obtain the necessary documents from the tourist.
During his visit to KLIA, which went viral, Tiong said he had brought along investigative officers from the integrity unit under his ministry. MACC officers are generally seconded to integrity units in ministries, government bodies, and government-linked companies.
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