Previously, the government announced that there will be a new MyKad – and passport, incidentally – on the way. The rollout was scheduled to begin in June, which is just around the corner. There’s no rush to get the new one though, as the National Registration Department (JPN) says that there will be no disruption of government aid programs that require the use of the MyKad. This includes things like SARA as well as BUDI95.
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the department said it will ensure that the list of aid recipients in the system remains intact. It also said that the migration of information will happen automatically within its central database system, “ensuring that assistance will continue to reach eligible recipients”.
Beyond that, the department also asks that people not be misled by rumours or false info claiming that aid will be stopped if the MyKad is not replaced immediately. It re-emphasises that the replacement process will be carried out in phases, and that detailed information on the application process will be announced in the near future. Not too long after the initial announcement, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that the aforementioned rollout will happen in four phases. It’s only after the last one that all citizens will be required to make the switch.
Previously, National Registration Director-General Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias said that the new MyKad will have 53 security elements equipped, compared to the 23 of the current one. Among them are laser engravings, ultraviolet (UV) elements, holograms, guilloche patterns, microtext, QR codes for enforcement purposes, and a chip with enhanced encryption technology. That being said, it would lose one of its more immediately useful features, which is its Touch ‘n Go card functionality.
(Source: JPN / Facebook)
