Fighting threats together

SHANGHAI: With people smuggling and cybercrime continuing to be a security threat worldwide, Malaysia will be pushing for greater cooperation among countries to effectively fight them.

These will be the key points to be raised by Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum today which will be held in Lianyungang city, Jiangsu province, some 400km from here.

The Deputy Prime Minister is expected to share Malaysia’s experience in facing these two challenges and what needs to be done to overcome them.

Malaysia, said an official, is also keen to learn best practices put in place by the 50 participating countries to deal with these issues, including host country China.

“While it may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, we can use the experience from other countries to formulate a regulation that is suitable and workable for us,” the official said.

According to reports, human trafficking is the third largest crime in the world, behind drugs and arms trafficking. Malaysia is no exception to this.

In 2021, Malaysia recorded 115 human trafficking cases, compared with only 17 in 2008.

Worldwide, people smuggling has resulted in losses amounting to a staggering US$1.02 trillion, with the figure recorded in Asean to be in the region of US$64bil.

Malaysia has taken steps to combat the crime, including setting up an agency dedicated to protecting and tightening security along the country’s borders.

Plans are also afoot to enhance the use of technology, particularly the use of artificial intelligence, for stricter border control measures.

But as Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail pointed out, tackling a crime of such severity cannot be done in silo.

“We must work with other nations to combat the problem. We must share our experiences and knowledge on how people smuggling can be stopped.

“Which is why it is important for Malaysia to be present at an international forum like this, not just to learn from the experiences of other countries, but also to establish networking and cooperation.

“This fits into our agenda to look for ways to mitigate new crimes,” he told Malaysian media here.

For Malaysia, which was recently upgraded to Tier-2 in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons report, the fight against people smuggling is not just about security but also has economic effects.

Slipping to a lower tier could lead to economic ramifications as countries may face certain sanctions by the United States.

On cybercrime, Saifuddin said Malaysia is not alone in facing such threats and significant losses due to the crime, noting that many countries have placed it as one of the top priorities that needed to be addressed.

According to the World Economic Forum, the global cost of cybercrime is forecast to jump to US$23.84 trillion by 2027.

Last year alone, losses connected to the crime registered US$12.5bil.

Malaysian police recorded a total of 40,350 commercial crime cases, including cybercrimes last year, involving losses of RM2.1bil.

On whether this “little known” international forum on public security can make a difference in tackling crime without the participation of major countries, Saifuddin believes that any international platform is good to observe and learn.

“It is during such a platform that we get to make friends, boost our ability, share our intelligence, and learn best practices from others. Whether the participation includes big names is secondary,” he said.

While in China, the Deputy Prime Minister will also be attending the Malaysia-China Halal Business Forum in Shanghai.

According to Wisma Putra, the event, organised by the Halal Development Corporation, is expected to see the participation of halal industry players from both countries.

Ahmad Zahid will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Mara Aerospace & Technologies Sdn Bhd and China’s Honeycomb Aerospace Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd for a collaboration in the field of aviation.