PUTRAJAYA: The upcoming passport and MyKad replacements will feature new safety designs to fight counterfeiters and maintain Malaysia’s standing among the countries with the most trusted passports globally, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
When met after a ministerial address here yesterday, the minister said that the identity card and passport, which will come with new security features, will not be replaced hastily.
“The MyKad is a security document, and after a certain period, its features need to be enhanced in line with technological developments to prevent forgery,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said Malaysia’s passport is currently ranked as the third most trusted in the world in terms of visa-free travel convenience, and the renewal is imperative to maintain that standing and level of trust.
“Malaysia will have a newly-designed passport within six months from now.
“The new document will be equipped with enhanced security features to preserve the integrity of the passport and address the risk of counterfeiting,” he said.
He also urged existing passport holders not rush to change to the new passports the moment they are available, but to stagger out the process according to their respective expiry dates.
On the issue of longstanding citizenship applications, the minister said he was optimistic that his ministry will be able to decide on backlogged cases by the end of the first quarter this year.
“There are fewer than 4,000 cases and I am optimistic we can solve the backlog that has been around for five, 10 and 15 years by the first quarter. By then, decisions on those applicants will be made,” he said.
On the automatic citizenship for children born abroad to Malaysian mothers, he said that the government has set a target of between June and July for the relevant legal amendments to take effect.
“Why still a long period when Parliament has already passed the amendments? There are still several other issues to resolve.
“This also includes the need to also inform all the Malaysian embassies and missions in the world of the amendments.
“This is an accomplishment of the Madani government for mothers that have long faced these issues,” he said.
When asked to comment on investigations into the alleged existence of a cult from South Korea in the country, he said that Bukit Aman is scheduled to brief him this week.
“Special Branch, specifically the E2 division, will update me. I am being more careful and cautious in this matter. I do not want to rely on multiple sources. The most authoritative source is the E2 unit,” he said.
Noting the rising number of scams, Saifuddin Nasution said the police have been instructed to pay closer attention to the matter this year.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), I was briefed that the average calls per day to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) is around 500,” he said, adding that the police have been further empowered to fight scams with the upcoming launch of the new NSRC headquarters at Cyberjaya in a few weeks.
“What was decided last year was that the police is to be the main lead of NSRC,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said legal amendments have made it easier for victims to file police reports.
“In the past, complaints are standalone, we will refer them (complainants) to make police reports. When we made the amendments last year, such complaints are considered police reports as well,” he said.
