Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid a surprise visit to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today, to see for himself how the Customs and Immigration Departments carry out their duties.

This came after an incident on Thursday involving a minister, a tourist from China, and allegations of corruption by authorities.

In a statement today, Anwar said the cabinet will discuss the matter this Wednesday and assured that investigations will be carried out on the matter.

“In the meantime, action will also be taken on those involved if there were errors that should not have occurred to the point of affecting operations,” he added.

On Thursday, Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing forced his way past immigration counters to “rescue” a tourist under detention.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing

The minister admitted his actions, which he said exposed corruption among officials in KLIA and that the Chinese national was not the first to receive such treatment when arriving in Malaysia.

The MACC and police are investigating the incident.

Remedial actions

On his inspection of the customs and immigration operations at KLIA, Anwar said there were problems that needed to be addressed.

“There are some customs weaknesses in need of remedy.

“Generally, the majority of immigration personnel’s services are proceeding smoothly.

“There are some problems, we will investigate to improve and appropriate actions will be taken if there are flaws,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

He added that they need to identify “small groups” who are unable to bring about change.

The cabinet, he said, will also be holding discussions on the two departments’ operations.

Bernama reported that Anwar was unaccompanied by ministers and top leaders during his inspection - which lasted 30 minutes.

The spot check was done before the prime minister headed to the Bunga Raya Complex to welcome the return of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the queen from performing the haj.

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