KUALA LUMPUR: Planning, implementation and monitoring of the Malaysian Immigration System (myIMMS) which was developed to support the main function of the Immigration Department was unsatisfactory and caused its objective to be affected, according to the 2015 Auditor-General’s Report.
In terms of management of foreign workers, the system which was used for vetting entry of foreign workers did not meet the requirements set by the government, said the report which was released yesterday.
As for foreign workers health screening, the audit found that for 2014, 3,527 of 699,018 foreign workers in Peninsular Malaysia were given temporary work permits (PLKS) although their health status was recorded as unfit.
“In the opinion of the auditors, this slackness in using the system can invite the risk of spread of diseases,” said the report.
It said 8,975 applications for renewal of the PLKS through the MyEG system, that is 1,940 in 2013 and 7,035 in 2014, were approved by the MyEG system operator automatically online without checks and the greenlight from Immigration officers.
The report stressed that automatic approval by MyEG was unsuitable and violated the Immigration Regulations 1963.
The audit also found that myIMMS’ biometric system costing RM10.3 million was installed and paid for but was not utilised at the country’s entry points for the purpose of vetting and confirming identities of foreigners and also Malaysians.
Instead, during physical visits, the auditors found the biometric system in use was the old National Enforcement and Registration Biometric System (NERS).
“In the opinion of the auditors, the procurement of the RM10.3 million biometric facility was a total waste because it was not used but paid for and fully supplied by the contractor,” said the report.
It added that the Immigration Department also could not furnish proof of distribution of fingerprint readers when the audits were done. — Bernama