PUTRAJAYA: The loss of 133,000 MyKads in the first three months (January-March) of this year alone is worrying to the government; whether these cases were due to the identity cardholders’ negligence or the work of syndicates.
Describing the number as high, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he was concerned that some of the lost MyKads might be used by syndicates for criminal purposes.
“This issue needs to be tackled fast by the National Registration Department (NRD) to prevent misuse of the lost MyKads and to avoid the Home Ministry from being accused by any quarters of creating phantom voters for the general election.”
Ahmad Zahid this to reporters after his visit to the NRD, here, yesterday.
He was, however, confident that the NRD, which won eight awards including an international one last year for its excellent service, would be able to check the problem.
“If investigations reveal that syndicates were involved in the loss of MyKads for the purpose of committing crime and so on, I think a fine imposed on the cardholders is not enough as the NRD should also do monitoring, undertake prevention measures and provide solutions to the problem,” he said.
He said the fine for those who lost their MyKad might be increased after this.
“I’m asking the NRD director-general to suggest the amount which I will bring up to the cabinet for consideration and approval,” he said.
Currently, the fine for losing the MyKad for the first time is RM100, RM200 for the second time and RM300 for the third. — Bernama