THE Immigration system nationwide crashed at 10am yet the department did not have the courtesy to inform the Malaysian public despite having direct access to mostly all social media platforms or even the mainstream media and news portal channels.
When asked by people seeking renewal or application of passports, a staff at the Jalan Duta Immigration Department responded: “We do not know how long before this issue is resolved.”
An irate senior citizen who happened to turn up to renew her passport hit back: “Imagine the whole country paralysed due to this, and there is no manual back-up. What if people needed the travel documents in an emergency?
“I wonder if KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) is affected as well as this will create a lot of hassle for outbound and inbound passengers.
“Why not post a news flash on the social media to alert the people so they can be spared from making a trip to the Immigration Department?”
Questions, questions and questions
At a glance, the head honchos in the passport office and the Immigration Department will have a lot of questions that need to be answered.
Why is there no back-up plans or at least a manual back-up in the event of a shutdown, especially if it is affecting the whole country? Why did it take so long for the passport office to inform the public especially when they have access to the media to inform the public?
What technical issues are involved that caused the breakdown in the system? Who is responsible for the breakdown? Was there any maintenance work being carried out to prevent such a major shutdown?
Was there a breach of cybersecurity? Was the system hacked? If yes, are other government agencies also equally vulnerable?
Or what are the chances that this could be another sabotage, considering that deep state may possibly be involved?
Efforts must be made to investigate this case thoroughly to ensure that there is no stone left unturned – and if deep state is involved – people must know about it. The saboteurs must be taken to face the long arm of the law. – Oct 19, 2023
Main pic credit: Kosmo Digital
