Halt new MyKads until after RCI

SAPP is of the view that the issuance of the new ICs will only 'double endorse' the dubios MyKads already in existence in Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has questioned the on-going exercise to issue new, enhanced security MyKads while the problem of dubious citizens continues to cast a shadow over the state.

The opposition party proposed that the issuance of the new MyKads be frozen until a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) is set up to resolve the issue of unqualified people gaining citizenship through the infamous ‘Project IC’.

SAPP information chief Chong Pit Fah said the National Registration Department (NRD) should immediately stop the exercise that started this year to change the present MyKad to a newer version.

“After all it is not like the older MyKad is not usable anymore,” he said.

Chong claimed that if the NRD proceeded with the exercise it would only give opportunity to those presently holding MyKad acquired through dubious means to be issued with better ones.

“This is like giving them a double endorsement … it is back to square one,” he said here today.

He contended that if the issuance of Native Certificate in Sabah had been frozen since 1984 due to abuse and existence of a syndicate to give ineligible people native status, then there should be no reason that the issuance of new MyKad in Sabah cannot be frozen until the establishment of the RCI to investigate and to clean up the MyKad obtained through Project IC, including cleansing of the electoral rolls.

The NRD early this week started to receive applications from citizens to change their MyKad to a newer version and more security features.

It was reported that the NRD would re-process the data in the MyKad if the applicants only wanted to change to the newer version without changing his or her photograph.