There is no denying the fact that the the Nepalese migrant worker Mangal Bahadur Gurung, 30, was wrongly imprisoned and whipped by the Malaysian authorities. The facts of the case have been documented by the courts.

What is important now is to establish the root causes of the blunder and to take corrective action in order to prevent a recurrence of the problem. However, the response of the Immigration authorities (who are the main protagonists in this episode) has not elicited any confidence that any corrective action is forthcoming.

All we have heard so far are denials of any mistake, affirmations that they were acting within the law and (pathetic) attempts to put the blame on Mangal for not informing them or the courts that he did indeed have the necessary documents to show that his presence in the country was legal.

'There was nothing wrong with the arrest and prosecution . .. the fault lies with him ... he never told us he had travel papers ...', says the head of the immigraton enforcement unit.

Can we really believe that Mangal made no attempt to try to convince the immigration officers - who were purportedly investigating his case during the 18 days that he was held in remand - that he had all the necessary documents especially when faced with the prospect of a jail and mandatory whipping sentence?

People such as his friend George and Tenaganita personnel who had worked tirelessly on his behalf maintain that more than enough documents were presented to the immigration authorities soon after Mangal was arrested. They further assert that they were met with arrogance and disdain by the immigration authorities. These are serious allegations.

One would therefore have expected the immigration authorities to seriously investigate the allegations to find out if indeed there was a bungle on its part. What we see instead is an immediate resort to denials and blaming.

Mangal was ordered released from wrongful imprisonment by the Shah Alam High court on May 12 and by May 13, the immigration enforcement head would have us believe that thorough investigations had been completed, exonerating the immigration department of any blunder.

It is precisely this kind of refusal to acknowledge mistakes that is lamentable. While an organisation may strive for zero defect and total quality management, it is understandable that errors sometimes do occur.

But if we are to learn from our mistakes, we must first acknowledge them for only then can we institute corrective and preventive actions. If the top management of an organisation lacks this attitude, there is little hope for improvement.

To err is human, but to persist in error is diabolical.