KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution has told a Pakatan Harapan backbencher not to pit him against his Cabinet colleague, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, over the counter-setting issue at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
This comes after Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Kepong) said in the Dewan Rakyat that the Immigration Department owed Tiong, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, an apology over the matter.
Lim said Tiong exposed the syndicate at KLIA last July.
Then, Tiong claimed there was a "culture of corruption" within the Immigration Department in handling foreign tourist arrivals at the country's main gateway after he went there to "expose" corrupt practices.
Saifuddin, in his response to Lim, said he and Tiong worked well together as a team.
"Don't try to create conflict between me and my colleague from Bintulu.
"We work as a harmonious team. He advises me, I advise him, he criticises me, and I criticise him. That's just the nature of differences," he said.
Saifuddin said the counter-setting issue did not arise only because Tiong highlighted it and that it has been a longstanding problem.
"What's most important is not talking about the problem itself, but how we approach the solution."
Last month it was reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission arrested 60 people including the mastermind of counter-setting operations at KLIA.
The syndicate involved Immigration Department personnel, agents and foreign nationals who were allegedly bringing in foreign workers illegally.