KUALA LUMPUR: What happened to the Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem) should serve as a lesson to the soon-to-be-established Single Border Agency (SBA).
Defence and security expert Professor Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam said while a single unified command is a good system, SBA could also face a similar fate as Aksem.
"The government should learn from Aksem's failure, otherwise SBA will be another 'syok sendiri'. Hence, it is hoped that the structure, organisation and staffing of SBA is way better than Aksem," he said.
Aksem was set up in 2017 and comprised three main enforcement agencies, namely the police, the Immigration Department and the Customs Department, before it was abolished in 2021.
Yesterday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said a bill was being formulated to establish SBA, with the tabling in Parliament expected in the first quarter of this year.
He said the cabinet agreed to the bill proposal to set up a new SBA entity which will use one name and operate as the new border control agency.
The establishment of SBA, said Saifuddin, would allow a more efficient and faster delivery system, with better coordination among agencies and improve the issue of integrity.
However, no further details of agencies that will be involved in SBA, with Mizan saying that there is a need to rope in the military to be part of the agency.
Meanwhile, Mizan said the success of SBA also relies on the integrity of the SBA personnel.
He said among the measures that can be taken include rotating the personnel manning the country's borders.
"We also need to invest more in technology that is viable and workable, not just for the sake of purchasing them. The SBA personnel must be equipped with body cameras, as well as scanning machines, drones and closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) that are working.
"If possible, maybe the CCTVs should have a direct link to the minister (Home Minister), the prime minister or on the SBA website itself so that the public also can see what is happening at the border.
"We have to make it public, we have nothing to hide. We are not fighting against terrorists, but border crimes and smugglers."
The SBA initiative was aimed at uniting more than 20 enforcement agencies at 141 entry points, including the Immigration Department, Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Service Department (Maqis), and the Customs Department.
During the tabling of the 2024 Budget on Oct 13 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said an SBA would be set up, with an allocation of RM20 million for maintenance, repair works and procurements of assets at the country's entry points.
The prime minister said it was part of the initiative to strengthen the national defence and security preparedness.