Don’t rush: Home minister urges Malaysians to avoid MyKad replacement frenzy

PORT DICKSON, Sept 15 — The people have been advised not to rush to replace their MyKad when applications for the new version open on Sept 17, to avoid congestion at National Registration Department (NRD) offices.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the replacement exercise for the new MyKad, which comes with about 50 additional security features, would be carried out in phases, while existing cards would remain valid for daily transactions.

“I would like to advise people not to rush to replace their MyKad. There are currently 24 million MyKad cards in circulation, with an average of 180,000 to 200,000 cards issued each month,” he told reporters here today.

He said the replacement of the MyKad would not affect subsidy balances or eligibility for subsidies linked to the identity card.

“There is no issue regarding the subsidy balance…the records are based on the existing MyKad,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said the department handles between 13,000 and 15,000 cases of unregistered births each year, a figure he described as still high even though Malaysia gained independence decades ago.

He said failure to register births was due to various factors, including lack of information, social problems and family issues, which could ultimately affect the children’s future.

“The reality is that there are still people who lack the basic knowledge that every birth must be registered, and this is still regarded as something normal,” he said, adding that parents or guardians gave various reasons for failing to register their children’s births, including financial difficulties and family constraints, even though birth registration is free.

In this regard, he urged parents, guardians and members of the public with information on unregistered births to come forward to NRD offices for assistance. — Bernama