MyKAS is different from Sabah Temporary Pass, clarifies NRD

KOTA KINABALU: The National Registration Department (NRD) has clarified that MyKAS, the special identity card issued to Malaysian-born “stateless” people, has nothing to do with the proposed Sabah Temporary Pass or Pas Sementara Sabah (PSS) for refugees.

The NRD released this statement after a Facebook user posted about a holder of MyKAS, claiming that the department had already started issuing PSS cards to foreigners.

The NRD statement said the Dec 21 posting by Facebook user James Stephen was factually inaccurate.

“NRD wants to clarify that the MyKAS card posted on the Facebook page is not the PSS card as claimed, ” the statement read.

According to the NRD, MyKAS had been issued since 1990 to people who were born in Malaysia but whose nationality was not known or could not be established.

These cards were issued under Rule 5(3)(c), Rules and Regulations of National Registration 1990, it said.

Those holding MyKAS were not citizens, and applicants must renew the pass every five years, it added.

The NRD explained that such cards were only issued to applicants who met certain specific requirements.

“Holders of the MyKAS do not have any rights or privileges that are given to Malaysians, ” the NRD said.

The department urged the public to check for further details on the matter with NRD offices or through its official website www.jpn.gov.my or its corporate communication unit at 03-8880 7077/7067/7069/8206 or via email [e-mail].

The government, through the Immigration Department, is planning to issue PSS cards from June 2020 to long-staying foreigners in Sabah who currently hold three different cards. These foreigners include Filipino refugees who fled to Sabah during the 1970s.