Former MACC chief urges reform on travel restrictions

New Straits Times

08-06-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad has called for institutional reforms to ensure that any authority enforcing movement restrictions on individuals operates under legal oversight, with full accountability and transparency.
He said such reforms are essential to uphold justice for all individuals and to preserve the rule of law.
Dzulkifli said the practice of imposing movement restrictions without due process or transparency must be stopped.
"This is not merely a personal inconvenience.
"It clearly violates Article 9(2) of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to move freely within Malaysia and to leave the country.
"Restrictions imposed without due process or transparency are unethical, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
"This practice must end," he said in a statement today.
He was commenting on the recent incident involving activist and graphic artist Fahmi Reza, who claimed he was barred from leaving the country after being blacklisted from entering Sabah.
Dzulkifli also shared his personal experience of facing travel restrictions imposed by the anti-graft body in 2018.
"What happened to Fahmi Reza is, unfortunately, nothing new. Many others have gone through the same thing, including myself.
"After the 2018 general election, when there was a change in government and I had retired from public service, I was barred from leaving the country. My applications to perform umrah were rejected twice.
"I was shocked, and a check with the Immigration Department revealed that the restriction was requested by the MACC, an agency I once led as chief commissioner.
"The travel ban was only lifted during the administration of the country's ninth prime minister (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob), after I personally requested the MACC to review the matter," he claimed.
Yesterday, Fahmi claimed he was prevented from leaving the country after immigration officers at KLIA informed him that he had been blacklisted.
Earlier today, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said in a statement that no official travel restriction had been imposed on Fahmi, whose full name is Mohd Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin.
Razarudin, however, said Fahmi's name was placed on a movement monitoring list for internal police reference, as investigations involving him are still ongoing.