KOTA KINABALU: Stern disciplinary action must be taken on the immigration officer who purportedly acted rudely and questioned the ethnicity of Gillian Benjamin and her parents, including her wheelchair-bound mother, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), said Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) president Datuk Michael Lui.

While he welcomed Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali’s directive for an investigation to be carried out on the incident, Lui said the report must be made public to ensure the investigation is not be shelved or dismissed over time.

“Stern disciplinary action must be imposed on the immigration officer to deter others from making the same mistake.”

Lui strongly condemned the immigration officer who allegedly discriminated against Gillian and her parents, whom the officer thought were Chinese.

“There are many civil servants in the country who are doing a good job. But there are a few bad apples as well, which the relevant government departments should seriously look into,” he said.

Lui said he was upset over the incident because racial discrimination should not exist among civil servants who represent the government.

“The Chinese, Indians, Malays and other races are all Malaysian citizens and should be treated equally and fairly,” he said.

Gillian, in a Facebook post, alleged that the immigration officer had been unusually rude to her mother, who was on a wheelchair, and even questioned her ethnicity at KLIA last Tuesday.

She said the officer shouted rudely at her parents who were at the terminal waiting to go through immigration, asking them to move over to the next counter.

When confronted by Gillian’s friend, Qhal, the officer shouted at him, saying: “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to them.”

The officer continued to barrage Qhal and asked about Gillian’s ethnicity. Once clarified by Gillian and her friend, the officer replied: “How would I know? I thought they were Chinese! Look at the way she’s (Gillian) dressed, how would I know?” (Mana saya tahu! Saya ingat orang Cina! Dia pun pakai macam tu mana saya tahu?).

- The Borneo Post

Resource : Malaysian Digest