KOTA BARU: Although the amount may be small, the practice of giving “duit kopi” (coffee money/bribe) at border crossings can pose a serious threat to natio­nal security. “This includes highlighting inte­grity as a core National Secu­rity Value under the 2021-2025 Natio­nal Security Policy, recognising it as essential to maintaining Malay­sia’s sovereignty, peace and prosperity. Meanwhile, Zakaria also said that there will be no compromise in the discharge of duties at the country’s entry points, including practices such as the ‘hand-raising’ culture that could jeopardise national security. He said no official reports had been received regarding allegations of such practices at the Immigration, Customs, Quaran­tine and Security (ICQS) Complex along the Malaysia-Thailand border. “Every act of ‘hand-raising’, however, trivial it may seem, is the beginning of a chain of leakages that could lead to disaster, including opening the door to organised crime syndicates and elements that can threa­ten national security,” he said.

Source: The Star January 26, 2026 12:15 UTC