No loophole for foreigners to get MyKad in fire aid relief, Anwar says in Sandakan inspection

SANDAKAN, April 22 — The government has assured that the replacement of personal documents for victims of the Kampung Bahagia fire will be carried out transparently and limited strictly to Malaysian citizens, amid concerns over potential misuse.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the National Registration Department (NRD), maintains a comprehensive database to verify the citizenship status of each applicant.

“There have been concerns that non-citizens might attempt to take advantage, but this will not happen as we have detailed records and will ensure that only those eligible receive replacement documents,” he said after visiting the fire victims at the temporary relief centre in Taman Batu Sapi here today.

Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.

In Sunday’s fire, approximately 1,000 homes in the water village were destroyed, leaving many victims without essential personal documents.

Anwar said the government would expedite the replacement of such key documents, including MyKad and  MyKid, as well as birth and death certificates.

The matter, he said, had been discussed with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, with the NRD mobilised to assist victims on the ground as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Anwar said medium- and long-term plans to redevelop the affected area would be coordinated at the state and district levels before being finalised, given the scale of the project.

“Implementation must be swift, but also carefully planned, taking into account the state’s priorities and development strategy,” he said, adding that interim assistance for victims would continue to be expedited. — Bernama