Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this

YOURSAY 'MH370 occurred under your watch. As home minister, you should take responsibility...'

Zahid sees red: European names but Asian faces?

SpongeBob: Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, you are not thinking! There are people with Asian facial features having European passports. As usual, this is your Umno over-reaction and heroism to escape your weakness as the home minister. A check should have been made with the database on stolen passports.

Rushmore: I have seen many Americans having adopted Asian children. Wouldn't they have American names and Asian features? Doesn't that apply to the Europeans too?

Headhunter: Obviously, he has never heard of emigration. People migrate, like we now have hundreds of thousands of former Malaysians who are Australians, Americans, French, etc, etc.

Whenever something like this happens, the frontline people get blamed but not the ministers in charge. Like I said before, the country is run by nincompoops from top to bottom.

Hplooi: Due to emigration and integration in Western countries (unlike in Malaysia), it would be difficult to conclude one is an imposter, based purely on Caucasian names and racial features. Note that at least two Americans on board are ethnic Chinese.  

Perhaps, instead of blaming the officers in the field, Zahid should be looking at the leaders or the minister who approved the system or standard operating procedures (SOP). In such a case, the leader with direct administrative and moral responsibility should resign.

Linking the Immigration Depaertment to the Interpol database may be one way. Instituting SOPs for officers on the ground is another. Sending officers for special security courses in spotting suspicious behaviour may be beneficial, at least more beneficial than sending officers to Biro Tata Negara (BTN) courses.

Rku020: Don't see red, for it happened under your watch Zahid. You are the home minister. You should take responsibilty and resign. If it was some other country the home minister would take responsibilty. This guy started the blame game.

Since you became home minister, what have you done to improve the departments under the Home Ministry? Can you share a scorecard of your activities as home minister?

Apa Nama: Zahid, your men and women are following you. You lead them by example because you, too, speak and do things without thinking. You are like a crab telling its 'kids' to walk straight.

Senior: Immigration officers do not need to think, they just follow orders. After all, cari makan only, mah.

Jaguh: Remember the 911 incident? The terrorists passed through Malaysia and KLIA as a hopping point before hijacking the three planes that caused 911. That's how easy our Immigration officers are. They can only stop politicians and bankrupts.

Spinnot: It's highly unlikely the fake Italian and Austrian could pass European immigration checkpoints, so I suspect the tickets they purchased for their final destinations in Europe were a  smokescreen to mislead China Southern Airlines.

Aries46: The Interpol allegation that airlines are not using their database of stolen passports is shocking. With present day technology, the verification processes ought to be a breeze. The moment a passport is scanned the system can be programmed to automatically check the Interpol database and flag out discrepancies in a matter of seconds.

The authorities must explain why this basic security requirement was overlooked. Another disturbing observation is that other than a handful of personnel, many in the top brass are seen to be unsure of the facts and weak in their spoken English at the various press conferences.

 

Regardless of government policy, those not proficient in English must refrain from taking the mike for the sake of our image internationally.

Fairnessforall: What is there to see red, Zahid? This is due to the stupid education system that does not allow a person to think but to just follow instructions like a robot. Why complain now? You have a low-class education system just to pass out the bumiputera, so this is the result. They are not trained properly.

Anonymous_40ca: The home minister is very puzzled how come Immigration officers cannot think and has directed the Immigration Department's director-general to investigate the passport gaffe.

While he is at it, maybe he can also investigate the Mongolian national whose immigration records were deleted some years back, and also the two faceless C4 experts. Who knows, maybe the two faceless C4 experts could be using stolen passports to travel to Amsterdam via Beijing.

CQ Muar: The Immigration Department was questionable for overlooking faked passports through its security scan. How could such negligence take place, as it concerns the risk and danger to passengers on a flight?

As always, the blame game starts to surface, including the home minister, questioning such an absurd incident. This happens when leaders of a country are too engrossed inimpressing dignitaries from other countries, as a result neglecting its internal affairs.

It all boils down to responsibilities of top government leaders, including the PM, who could compromise the welfare of the country for other issues of lesser importance. Najib Abdul Razak had been 'so busy' that his wife even stood in for him to visit the flight MH370 passengers' families.

Is this the duty of a 'common housewife' of the PM, as admitted by Rosmah Mansor herself? Thus, such are the realities in our country - they only 'get wise after an incident', to quote Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Anonymous #02382443: Wow! Look who is screaming and at whom? The question Zahid is asking should have been directed at the minister, who is the CEO. He should be screaming at himself for the answer.

Didn't Harry Truman once say that "the buck stops here", that is, with the boss?


The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .

ADS