By M. KRISHNAMOORTHY; The STAR Online September 14, 2008
The new Immigration director-general is set on improving efficiency and stamping out corruption at all levels.
CHANGE was the word uppermost in Datuk Mahmood Adam’s mind as he walked into his seventh floor Putrajaya office on July 21.
As the mass of new faces greeted him, the shocking detention and indictment of the previous director-general of Immigration on allegations of corruption was also in his thoughts.
Mahmood: 'It is a sin to take any form of bribe'
“My main task is to wipe out corruption and maladministration both of which the department is always accused of. Changes are needed in all areas of the department.
“Most of all, I need to change the way my colleagues think,” the new Immigration director-general said in an interview last week.
Among the first things he did was to change the department’s operation style to enhance better cooperation and boost staff morale.
But administrative efficiency aside, his main focus would be on wiping out corruption.
“I have been sent here on a mission. I have to meet the high expectations of the Government,” he said.
The Immigration Department is certainly not a new place for the 55-year-old DG. He was posted to the department in October 1976 when he was a young administrative officer.
Going into his second month as the DG, Mahmood has already introduced 26 changes to bring about better efficiency and transparency. One of the obvious changes is his noticeable presence.
The DG mixes freely with the staff and is often seen checking on queues at the counters several times a day. On Monday, he was seen on the crowded second floor, mingling with people waiting for visa extensions and employers seeking approvals for their workers.
Walking straight into a group of people holding immigration documents, he asked one woman who was waiting for her workers’ visa renewals: “How long have you been waiting?”
“One hour, I don’t know how much longer I will have to wait,” she replied.
The DG managed to pacify her with his smile and an assurance that the department was working on improving the system to reduce the waiting time.
As he turned around, N. Bala_krishnan, a manager of an outsourcing company greeted him.
“Thank you, Datuk. It is now much easier and faster to get approvals for visas. We used to wait for seven days but now it takes only three days,” he said.
Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association president Datuk R. Ramalingam said the new system allowed members of the organisation to deal directly with the department, compared with the previous system.
“The department now encourages employers to come forward themselves, eliminating the agents and their hefty commissions. Our applications for workers are certainly processed faster,” he said.
As soon as Mahmood took over, he met the various associations and organisations involved in bringing in foreign workers. Then he sat down with his top officers and found solutions to the problems. The officers were told that there should be no more delays in processing and approving applications.
According to him, the problems arose because systems were not put in the right place.
“My focus is now on getting the systems right. I have set up a one-stop centre committee which meets at 5pm daily to iron out problems in the head office and in the state and branch offices.
Mahmood, who has notched 32 years in the civil service, has served in various capacities in the Prime Minister’s Department, the Public Services Department, the Defence Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and also in the administration of Parliament.
The father of two who also has two grandchildren, has been living with his retired assistant headmistress wife in a double-storey link house in a low-income neighbourhood for the past 25 years.
Mahmood, who is serious in his war against graft, has this to say: “It is a sin to take any form of bribe to process or speed up applications
The new Immigration director-general is set on improving efficiency and stamping out corruption at all levels.
CHANGE was the word uppermost in Datuk Mahmood Adam’s mind as he walked into his seventh floor Putrajaya office on July 21.
As the mass of new faces greeted him, the shocking detention and indictment of the previous director-general of Immigration on allegations of corruption was also in his thoughts.
Mahmood: 'It is a sin to take any form of bribe'
“My main task is to wipe out corruption and maladministration both of which the department is always accused of. Changes are needed in all areas of the department.
“Most of all, I need to change the way my colleagues think,” the new Immigration director-general said in an interview last week.
Among the first things he did was to change the department’s operation style to enhance better cooperation and boost staff morale.
But administrative efficiency aside, his main focus would be on wiping out corruption.
“I have been sent here on a mission. I have to meet the high expectations of the Government,” he said.
The Immigration Department is certainly not a new place for the 55-year-old DG. He was posted to the department in October 1976 when he was a young administrative officer.
Going into his second month as the DG, Mahmood has already introduced 26 changes to bring about better efficiency and transparency. One of the obvious changes is his noticeable presence.
The DG mixes freely with the staff and is often seen checking on queues at the counters several times a day. On Monday, he was seen on the crowded second floor, mingling with people waiting for visa extensions and employers seeking approvals for their workers.
Walking straight into a group of people holding immigration documents, he asked one woman who was waiting for her workers’ visa renewals: “How long have you been waiting?”
“One hour, I don’t know how much longer I will have to wait,” she replied.
The DG managed to pacify her with his smile and an assurance that the department was working on improving the system to reduce the waiting time.
As he turned around, N. Bala_krishnan, a manager of an outsourcing company greeted him.
“Thank you, Datuk. It is now much easier and faster to get approvals for visas. We used to wait for seven days but now it takes only three days,” he said.
Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association president Datuk R. Ramalingam said the new system allowed members of the organisation to deal directly with the department, compared with the previous system.
“The department now encourages employers to come forward themselves, eliminating the agents and their hefty commissions. Our applications for workers are certainly processed faster,” he said.
As soon as Mahmood took over, he met the various associations and organisations involved in bringing in foreign workers. Then he sat down with his top officers and found solutions to the problems. The officers were told that there should be no more delays in processing and approving applications.
According to him, the problems arose because systems were not put in the right place.
“My focus is now on getting the systems right. I have set up a one-stop centre committee which meets at 5pm daily to iron out problems in the head office and in the state and branch offices.
Mahmood, who has notched 32 years in the civil service, has served in various capacities in the Prime Minister’s Department, the Public Services Department, the Defence Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and also in the administration of Parliament.
The father of two who also has two grandchildren, has been living with his retired assistant headmistress wife in a double-storey link house in a low-income neighbourhood for the past 25 years.
Mahmood, who is serious in his war against graft, has this to say: “It is a sin to take any form of bribe to process or speed up applications
