Why the sudden rush to 're-issue' Mykads?

KOTA KINABALU - Opposition party PBS has welcomed the swift re-issuance of identity cards to victims of a recent fire but, at the same time, cautions that illegal immigrants may attempt to abuse this avenue to attain citizenship.

Its president Maximus Ongkili commended the National Registration Department (NRD) for its quick action in replacing the MyKad of residents who lost their identification documents in a fire at Kg Pasir Putih, Putatan, over a week ago.

However, he reminded the government to ensure the MyKad was only given to genuine citizens.

“We (PBS) acknowledge that the MyKad must be reissued to applicants swiftly but it must be done the right way.

“In the case of the recent Putatan blaze, the fire victims were re-issued their identification documents within 10 days. There have been at least eight suspicious fires at squatter settlements throughout Sabah since June 2018.

“NRD and the relevant authorities must conduct thorough checks to ensure that only proven, genuine Malaysians are given replacement documents,” Ongkili said here today.

Ongkili said the last thing PBS wanted was foreigners trying to abuse this avenue to acquire Malaysian citizenship.

The NRD, the Kota Marudu MP added, must also ensure that the process of verification was transparent and could be counterchecked by local community leaders.

“This is to ensure those receiving these documents are genuine locals.

“While we commend the NRD for their efficient and prompt action, such response should not only happen when fires occur in squatter settlements, especially where there are known colonies of illegal immigrants.”

He added there had been regular smaller fires in various rural districts weekly.

“Usually fire victims wait for months before getting their MyKad and birth documents replaced. And these are all locals and natives.

“PBS wants to ensure the territorial integrity of the Malaysian nation. We have enough of infiltration by illegal immigrants,” he said.

Yesterday, Putatan MP Awang Husaini Sahari presented eight replacement MyKad and 35 birth certificates to those who lost the documents in the fire on Jan 11, in a ceremony at Putatan near here.

Sabah NRD director Ismail Ahmad, who was also present at the ceremony, assured that these were genuine cases, adding they made sure that only eligible people obtained the documents.