FMT LETTER: From Government Watchdog, via e-mail

The director-general of Immigration, Aloyah Mamat, should stop blaming others for department’s own shortfall over the congestion at the immigration gates which left about one thousand passengers fuming at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang recently.

Although I was not one of those involved, I empathise with the passengers who had to wait for several hours just to clear through the immigration counters in their own country.

Aloyah’s failure to ensure that the transition goes on smoothly cannot be blamed on AirAsia for its refusal to move to the KLIA2 terminal on May 2. Such a congestion should have been anticipated, and as director-general, it is her duty to ensure that more immigration counters are opened at peak hours.

People are not interested in the internal politics, but as tax payers, we demand that the service, including that of the Immigration Department, is being provided for. Otherwise, Aloyah is simply not fit for the job.

The rakyat would not take such an excuse given by a senior member of an important government agency, otherwise, the next time something happens, the tendency is to always blame others for the failure of the immigration.

For too long, the rakyat has looked with dismay at the influx of illegal foreigners into the country. How is it that the immigration can allow, for example, foreigners coming to Malaysia under the pretext of furthering their education? For this, will immigration take the brunt or blame it on the Ministry of Education or the private institutions for helping these foreigners to apply for their student visas?

While we expect student visas to be approved promptly especially those who are registered with bona fide institutions, we also expect the immigration not only to be strict with those institutions that are ‘suspicious’, but together with the Ministry of Education, to clamp down on them.

So far, what has the immigration done to solve some of these issues, or like what Aloyah is quick to do, blame it on others for the issues faced by the country today? What about the increasing number of illegal Rohingas or other ethnic groups in this country? How did they enter into the country? Has the immigration allowed a loophole in its checkpoint that allows these illegals to enter the country?

What about the fake passports that were used to travel as in the case of the two Iranians on board the MH370 aircraft recently? How is it that they could leave the country using fake passports? Who would Aloyah blame then?

Aloyah should stop the blame game; instead, immediately, deploy her people back to the LCCT to man more counters to avoid the congestion to happen again. Her failure, if not being reprimanded by the government, will reflect badly on prime minister, Najib Tun Abdul Razak.