KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department welcomes the recommendations from the Home Minister regarding the implementation of more frequent work rounds to curb integrity violations among enforcement officers.
Its director general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said his department will increase the frequency of work rotations involving officers, especially those who are in risky or sensitive areas such as the entry points into the country.
"Our Integrity Division will also continue to monitor each of our officers.
"We also wish to emphasise that we have ordered all our officers to declare their assets annually," he said today.
Ruslin said this order was meant as an internal control measure to ensure continuous monitoring of the finances and assets owned by his officers.
"We will not compromise on any officer involved in committing integrity violations.
"These misconduct tarnishes the good name and image of the department," he said, adding that they will continue to ensure that level of integrity of the department's officers are at the maximum level.
It was reported earlier that the Home Ministry is ready to implement more frequent rotations of postings involving key agencies under its purview to ensure the integrity of its services.
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was quoted saying the move follows the remand of four Immigration Department officers suspected of being involved in a syndicate that smuggled foreigners into the country.
He also said that despite repeated assertions about integrity, these issues still persist.
"On our part, we will review aspects from the placement perspective.
"The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) emphasised job rotations and preventing staff from staying in one place for too long, as this could potentially lead to situations we want to avoid," he told reporters after attending his ministry's monthly assembly on Thursday.
Eleven people, including four enforcement officers, were remanded over their suspected involvement in a syndicate which smuggled foreigners into the country.
This came after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission dismantled the syndicate with the arrests of 12 people.
According to a source, the enforcement officers were stationed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's Terminal 2.
Three of them have been remanded for five days, while another has been remanded for three days.
Aside from the enforcement officers, four company owners, two men and two women, have been remanded for between four and five days.
Two civilians, a man and a woman believed to be representatives of the syndicate, were remanded for five days while a company manager, a man, was remanded for four days.