Use MYKAD reader when hiring

PETALING JAYA: With two armed robberies by security guards in the space of a week, crime awareness group Malaysians Against Rape, Assault and Snatch (MARAH) is urging security companies to fully utilise MYKAD readers to weed out fake ID holders.

It is alarming to hear that fake MyKads can be easily bought for as low as RM 200. This begs the question of whether firearm permits can be obtained using fake MYKAD, said MARAH founder Dave Avran.

Guard fake MYKAD raises questions

I REFER to the report MYKAD cannot be cloned, says NRD (The Star, Oct 30). The NRD director-general Datuk Jariah Mohd Said remarks that the MYKAD is a document of high quality which cannot be cloned and can only be tampered with by changing the photograph and details on the surface of the original card, while the information and security features are embedded in the card or chip.

Is It Legal For Security Guards To Keep Your MyKad?

Imagine this: You're visiting a friend and about to enter a residential area but you can't go in until you register at the security counter. Almost instinctively, you hand out your MyKad so the guards will let you in.

This happens almost everywhere — from guarded neighbourhoods to office buildings and even commercial buildings such as hotels.

This practice of asking for identification documents such as MyKad or driving license is usually performed by security officers employed by security control companies, based on internal rules issued by the premises' management.

It is aimed at ensuring that identities of all incoming visitors are recorded and monitored for the safety and orderliness of the residents at the premises. More and more housing areas across the country have adopted this practice, especially in crime-prone areas.

Usually, a person would have to hand over their MyKad or driving license to the security guard in exchange for a security pass that will allow the person to gain access to the guarded area. The identification document will be given back when the person returns the security pass when exiting the premises.

However, have you ever wondered if it is actually legal for security guards to hold on to your MyKad?

The short answer: No. Nobody, except the issuing body (JPN), has the right to take your MyKad away.

Review MyKad technology, suppliers, MP tell gov't

A DAP lawmaker has urged the government to review the technology behind the MyKad and investigate allegations against past suppliers of the national identity card.

“It has been alleged that certain politicians and their cronies from the former regime have benefitted enormously from supplying this low-tech and easily cloned MyKad to the government.

“This allegation should be investigated to clear the names of those involved,” Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said in a statement today.

Contacted by Malaysiakini, Lim said he had received complaints from certain officials, who had raised the issue because the tender for the MyKad supplier would be held in September.

"They (the officers) want the original multipurpose MyKad concept to be implemented," he said.

He was commenting on the card introduced by the National Registration Department (NRD) in 2001 that contains an embedded computer chip.

Faulty MyKad with Touch 'n Go

A COMMUNICATIONS executive finds it puzzling that he has to replace his MyKad, which comes with the Touch ’n Go feature, twice as the payment facility is not functional.

“I changed my MyKad last month when I found out the feature was not working.”

The executive said: “However, the second MyKad, which I recently changed, was also faulty.

“If the MyKad with Touch ’n Go can get faulty easily, why bother having the Touch ’n Go function in it?” the executive, who wanted to be known only as Ken, told Actionline.

He said he was then told to buy a normal Touch ’n Go card.