Customs Dept ...

At last, the MACC has finally caught 62 custom officers some whom are more or less caught red-handed with money, gold bars, expensive cars in their homes, and with accounts in the banks. By their actions, it was reported in the media that the government of Malaysia suffered an annual shortfall in revenue collection by some RM 108 billion. By any international standard, the amount is huge. No wonder the government is perpetually short of money and has accumulated debts to the tune of some RM 400 billion plus. No wonder, prices of fuel never go down and are always on the increase, BNM's forex reserve remains constant, our income taxes are never decreased, our currency never appreciates, amongst other things that impoverished this country.

It galls me to think that the culprits started being corrupted at the age of 24. Those that are in the age group of 30 - 55 years in the customs department must have been doing it for at least 10 years during which time trillions of ringgit have been siphoned out. With the revelation by MACC, I believe not one customs official is innocent of graft and everyone, from the office boy to the directors, is guilty of being on the take. The trouble is the on-the-take culture has been prevailing in the customs department for years and years. The thinking in the department is that if the boss is on the take, what's wrong for us, the subordinates, to be on the take also. Live and let live. The question is then what is the government going to do about it ? [In China, the 62 officers run the risk of facing the firing squad immediately].

Equally guilty are the forwarding agents that under-declared taxable imported items or for not declaring goods. They ought to be banned from being agents of the importers or the direct managers face the firing squads and their companies being given publicity in the media.

Update 07/04/2011: One of the customs officer involved, a 56 year old Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, apparently fell to his death at 10.15 am yesterday from one of the windows in an MACC building in Cheras. It's not known why he went there again for a second time after giving statements to the MACC the previous time. Sarbani was the Assistant Director of Customs at Port Klang. It's obvious to me that the man was so worked up over being remanded by the MACC for being probably involved in corruption that he jumped from the 3rd story window just saving further embarassment to his family. A man who's ostensibly religious, prays faithfully, goes to Friday mosque at every opportunity, well known in the community as a pious man, may, on the quiet, be highly corrupted and is full of guilty conscience when caught; so much so that it's better for him to kill himself rather than face the trials and rumours from neighbours and friends and therefore decided to be done with it. That's the least he could do.

I suppose, we have to leave it to the coroner to determine the exact cause of death and the Police to ascertain why Sarbani took his own life or is it a case of homicide ?

It's obvious to me that the Customs department is not doing its job, [and the customs officers have not been doing their jobs for a very long, long time] causing much needed revenue to be leaked away.

On another note, 8 immigration officers (in their twenties and thirties) are being charged in the Shah Alam court for taking bribes when allowing illegal entries of Indonesian ferry passengers into Malaysia at Port Klang. News has it that some RM 122,000 changed hands for the illegals to enter.

To continue ....