MACC-Customs anti-smuggling task force still under discussion, says department

PETALING JAYA, Aug 7 — The proposed joint task force between the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department to combat smuggling and revenue leakages has yet to be finalised, with discussions between both agencies still ongoing.

In a response to Malay Mail the Customs Department said the proposed collaboration remained at the discussion stage and further details would be announced once both parties reached an agreement.

“This matter is still under discussion between the two agencies. Official information will be shared with media partners once it has been finalised,” the department said.

Yesterday the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre) called for greater transparency, stronger safeguards and clearer accountability measures surrounding the proposed initiative.

C4 Centre head of research and policy advocacy Arief Hamzan said while the proposed task force was a positive step towards addressing enforcement weaknesses, its role, powers and implementation mechanisms must be clearly defined.

He said clear guidelines were needed to ensure the task force could operate effectively, avoid overlapping responsibilities and deliver meaningful outcomes in tackling governance issues.

“Malaysia needs stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure government agencies can be effectively scrutinised by the public,” he said in a statement.

Arief said existing avenues for members of the public to demand accountability from government bodies remained limited, while a culture of secrecy within the bureaucracy continued to undermine public confidence.

He added that efforts to strengthen enforcement should be accompanied by broader institutional reforms, including the introduction of a Freedom of Information law and the establishment of a federal Ombudsman office to investigate and resolve public complaints against government agencies.

According to C4 Centre, the success of such reforms would depend on ensuring their frameworks aligned with international best practices to create more open, responsive and trusted public institutions.

The proposed task force was announced following discussions between MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman and Customs director-general Datuk Amran Ahmad during Amran’s courtesy visit to the anti-graft agency’s headquarters.

Abd Halim previously said the meeting involved discussions on operational challenges, including customs inspection procedures, bureaucratic issues and internal matters faced by the department.

He said both agencies also discussed mechanisms to address leakages in container management under Customs’ jurisdiction at ports nationwide.

Amran, meanwhile, said Customs had shared information on the modus operandi of syndicates attempting to evade taxes, including through smuggling activities and the falsification of information or documents to obtain approvals under certain categories.

The proposed collaboration is aimed at strengthening enforcement against offences involving container management, smuggling, document forgery and attempts to avoid tax payments.

However, questions remain over the task force’s operational structure, including its scope of authority, responsibilities, reporting mechanisms and whether its primary role will focus on monitoring, prevention or enforcement.