We must steadfastly say “no” to corruption, and must have unwavering political will and morality to nip it in the bud before it grows into an overpowering monster.

A frustrating experience of a Chinese tourist at airport immigration checkpoint, a rescue operation by a minister, and a shock visit to the airport immigration by the PM…have suddenly knocked over the Pandora’s box.

Cases of corruption, big and small, have been in existence in this country for as long as we remember, and they are no more a novelty here. The culture of corruption has taken shape!

Perhaps the situation is not that overwhelming, but corruption has evidently been present all the time such that everyone of us has at least come across a case or two in our respective lifetimes. As a result, the prevalent belief is that corruption is everywhere!

In this age of modern communication, corrupt officers should be very much more cautious than ever, as the slightest oversight could land themselves in trouble, and taint the country’s international image.

During the early years, our customs officers (at least some of them) used to ransack vehicles entering Johor from Singapore. So the best bet then was to have RM20 ready in hand, just to make the officers a little happier and more accommodating.

Also during the early years, getting a passport was not as easy as it is today. Often we needed to hand in RM100 to a middleman to help get the chores done in an hour.

Getting a residence visa for a foreign spouse was like an obstacle course unless some cash was pushed into the hands of the officer handling your application.

The same goes for petty businessmen trying to get their permits. If you wanted to save the “agent fees,” better take up a nine-to-five job instead!

Has the situation improved after all these years? From minister Tiong King Sing’s claim that the “rescued” Chinese tourist was extorted RM18k, and the PM Anwar’s revelation that JPN officers will only issue citizenship after receiving bribes, we can see that the culture of corruption has become very much a norm through the decades.

Looks like the PM’s mission to weed out corruption is going to be a very, very tough one!

Fortunately the PM is not alone, as DPM Ahmad Zahid also agrees that while there are indeed kacang hantu in the immigration and national registration departments, but that does not mean we must blame the entire departments, which is not fair to the others.

Whenever a problem arises, we must take swift actions to rectify it before it jeopardizes the government’s image.

JPN director-general Zamri Misman stressed that his department would never compromise with anyone involved in acts of corruption and abuse of power. He also said JPN had not commissioned any agency to handle any of the department’s procedures and members of the public should not believe in anyone offering their services for a fee.

No matter how hard it is, one thing uncompromising is that all practices of corruption must be eradicated.

Now that the MACC has started to probe the claim of bribe-taking by the airport immigration, it is hoped that this will lead to more revelations and the identification of the root of corruption as well as all the accomplices that make up the top of the pyramid of crime.

We hope that the MACC would understand that each time they probe a case as it is, the rakyat will not have too high expectation from them delivering positive results, as the syndicates can always get a few scapegoats to take the fall and have the case closed.

We not only want to round up the ikan bilis, but the big sharks too! If we don’t wipe out the roots, it will spring up and flourish once again soon.

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail says very few Chinese tourists are turned away at the airport, averaging 60 a month.

He says if a tourist fails to answer the officer’s questions, he or she could be issued with a “Not to Land” (NTL) notice, which he says is a globally accepted practice.

However, if a tourist cannot express verbally and is unable to tell the address in Malaysia or does not have a return flight ticket or sufficient cash, this is not an inexcusable crime that warrants a detention or deportation.

Meanwhile, transport minister Anthony Loke also urges immigration officers to remain amicable to all tourists while discharging their job duties to guard our national borders.

In the past, we heard of our neighboring countries soliciting bribe from tourists, but today they are putting on smiling faces to welcome their guests at the airports. As a matter of fact, we hardly hear of immigration officers making life difficult for tourists at the airports of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia today.

Bribe soliciting has penetrated deep into every nook and cranny of the Malaysian institution, involving not just the immigration, JPN, elected reps or government officials of all levels, but also the so-called “middlemen” or agents.

As such, fighting corruption should not be the duty of the PM, cabinet or the MACC alone, but should be made into a “national campaign” that entails everyone of us.

We must steadfastly say “no” to corruption, and must have unwavering political will and morality to nip it in the bud before it grows into an overpowering monster.

Just give ourselves some time!