How is Pilot Smuggling Drugs Loke's Fault, MP Asks MCA Man

Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan has questioned why Transport Minister Anthony Loke is being blamed over the arrest of a Malaysian pilot for alleged drug smuggling.

Syahredzan said the statement made by MCA Youth deputy chairman Mike Chong was "low-class" as the latter was clearly trying to take advantage of the issue to somehow attribute blame to Loke, the DAP secretary-general.

"Why should Loke be urged to offer an explanation when a pilot is caught smuggling drugs? The bigger question is how the pilot passed our security screenings," he said in a Facebook post.

"We all know that this was a serious security breach, but Loke is not in charge of security. He doesn't control the borders. But this MCA man is taking advantage of the issue to take a potshot at Loke.

"MCA shouldn't take advantage of this serious issue. It makes (Chong) look really low-class and shallow," he said.

Last week, a Malaysian pilot was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, for allegedly smuggling about 25kg of ecstasy pills and 2.7g of methamphetamine.

The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency confirmed that the pilot had cleared routine security screening procedures at KLIA before departing for Jakarta.

Earlier today, Chong was quoted by Sinar Harian as urging Loke not to sidestep the issue, saying the transport ministry needed to address the effectiveness of "monitoring and surveillance mechanisms" on all flight crew.

The MCA Youth leader questioned whether existing screening procedures were sufficient.