Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said the department is prepared to be audited over the issuance of Malaysian passports with validity periods exceeding 10 years, amid concerns over the affected documents.
The New Straits Times reported Zakaria as saying the issue was limited to the systems of two airlines, which he declined to name, and did not involve foreign immigration authorities rejecting Malaysian passports.
“There was confusion that our passports were supposedly not being accepted by other countries.
“This is incorrect. We have no problem with acceptance by foreign countries. All countries accept our passports even if their validity exceeds 10 years,” he was quoted as saying.
Zakaria said passports issued with validity of up to 10 years and six months remain valid and are recognised under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
However, Immigration has discontinued the practice of carrying forward up to six months of unused validity from an existing passport when issuing a new 10-year passport.
Yesterday, Bernama reported Zakaria as saying some travellers had encountered problems because airline systems were configured to accept passports with no more than 10 years’ validity.
About 38,000 10-year passports have been issued since July 1, including 26,000 with validity exceeding 10 years, he said.
The issue arose because Malaysians who renewed their passports early had previously been allowed to carry forward up to six months of unused validity.
Applied to the new 10-year option, this resulted in some passports being issued with validity of up to 10 years and six months.
The Immigration Department yesterday suspended the validity of the affected passports pending resolution of the issue with airlines and ICAO.
Today, The Star reported Zakaria as saying the maximum 10-year validity period for Malaysian passports would continue as usual, as implemented on July 1.
MP calls for audit
Earlier today, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng called for an independent audit into the issuance of the 26,000 passports, questioning the approval process and costs incurred by affected holders.
Lim said the rollout exposed serious shortcomings in planning and testing, while replacing the affected passports could impose unnecessary costs on taxpayers and inconvenience holders.
“Find out who approved it. Reveal the cost. Hold them accountable. Those responsible cannot hide behind technical explanations.
“No excuses, no passing the buck, and no protection for incompetence,” he said in a statement. - Mkini
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