KUALA LUMPUR: A strategic partnership with Media Prima Berhad (MPB) is crucial for the public to understand the reforms being undertaken by the Immigration Department.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, during a corporate visit to Media Prima's office today, said this was because what is usually highlighted in the media tends to be negative.
"The Immigration Department carries out numerous initiatives and provides various services to the public.
"However, what is usually highlighted tends to be negative aspects.
"Today, we are exploring how MPB can help the Immigration Department highlight its positive contributions.
"For instance, we implement modern technologies and initiatives to enhance our services to the public.
"However, these messages often do not reach the people. This is where collaboration with MPB becomes crucial," he told reporters after a meeting with the MPB management team.
Present were MPB group chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hussian Aljunid, Media Prima Omnia chief operating officer (sales) Mohd Efendi Omar, deputy group managing editor Farrah Naz Karim and Media Prima Television Network News and Current Affairs group editor Azhari Muhidin.
Zakaria cited some initiatives the department had implemented including enhancing processing time for passport applications and adopting artificial intelligence in their daily operations.
"Looking at reforms that we have implemented, in the past, it might have taken six months to issue a passport – this was the case before the 1980s and 1990s.
"But we have improved the process from six months to three months, then to two weeks. Now, a passport can be issued within an hour.
"While an hour might seem long, the latest advancements, such as those at the Kajang Immigration Office, have reduced the processing time to just 15 minutes," he said.
He added that the public had expressed satisfaction as they could complete the entire process, from start to finish, in such a short time.
"Unfortunately, often the focus is on the long queues and the public doesn't see the transformation we've undergone," he said.
He added that they had expanded the use of auto gates to foreigners from 63 countries and were transitioning to more advanced technologies, such as QR code-based systems.
"We are in the process of procuring these systems with the Finance Ministry to accelerate auto gate usage with QR codes further.
"This will make processes faster and alleviate congestion. Additionally, the system will be equipped with AI features to enhance efficiency," he said.