No need to rush for new MyKad replacement - Saifuddin

JOHOR BAHRU - Holders of existing MyKad nationwide are not required to replace their identity cards when the new version is introduced on June 1, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He said while possessing a MyKad is mandatory for Malaysians aged 12 and above, there is no requirement for cardholders to replace their MyKad simultaneously.

More than 20 million Malaysians currently hold the identification card.

"I urge the public not to rush to the National Registration Department (JPN) to change their MyKad.

"The law does not require holders of the existing MyKad to immediately replace their cards once the new version is introduced,” he told a press conference after inspecting the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project at the Sultan Iskandar Building Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex and Bukit Chagar Station here today.

Also present was Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.

Saifuddin said this when asked whether the replacement of existing MyKad with the new version featuring enhanced security elements would be made compulsory for all Malaysians.

Earlier, JPN director-general Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias reportedly said the new MyKad would feature 53 security elements compared with 23 on the current card.

The enhanced features include laser engraving, ultraviolet elements, holograms, guilloche patterns, microtext, a Quick Response (QR) code for enforcement purposes and a chip with upgraded encryption.

Besides MyKad, new versions of MyPoCA and MyTentera will also be introduced next month. - BERNAMA