MyKad
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MyKad, or Government Multipurpose Card, (GMPC) is the official compulsory identity card of Malaysia. It is regarded as the world's first smart identity card. Part of the Multimedia Super Corridor flagship applications, it was officially launched on September 5, 2001 and incorporates a microchip, which contains several items of data including biometrics. As of 2006, MyKad has eight current and several planned applications which are mostly related to proof of identity or electronic money. From March 2003, a variant issuable to newborn babies was introduced, known as MyKid.
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[edit] Name
The names MyKad and MyKid are both plays on words. My can mean MY, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for Malaysia (more widely known in its form as the country code top-level domain .my), or the English first person possessive pronoun my, indicating ownership of the card. Kad is a transliteration of the English word Card (pronunciation and meaning being the same in Malay), as well as an acronym or backronym of Kad Akuan Diri which translates to 'Personal Identification Card'. Kid is an English slang for child and also stands for Kad Identiti Diri, which means Personal Identity Card.
[edit] Eligibility and adoption
All Malaysian citizens and permanent residents 12 years old or above are eligible for a MyKad. From 2001, it gradually replaced an older Malaysian Identity Card system, that had been in use since 1949 under British colonial rule, with the intention of becoming ubiquitous by 2007.
Adoption was optional but spurred by the waiving of the application fee of between RM20 and RM50 until 31 December 2005. As of 27 December 2005, 1,180,208 Malaysians still held an old identity card. After the waiving period ended on 31 December 2005, each new application (first time application) comes with a fee of RM10.
All newborn babies are issued with a MyKid. This is "upgraded" to a MyKad on the 12th birthday. The MyKad must be replaced when a person reaches 18 years old, as it is a requirement that the photograph be 'current'.
MyKad must be carried at all times. Failure to do so may incur a fine of between RM3,000 and RM20,000 or jail term of up to three years.
[edit] Technical specifics and applications
The MyKad is a piece of plastic with an embedded microchip and has the dimensions of a standard credit card. The original card contained a 32Kb EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) chip running on the M-COS (MyKad Chip Operating System) operating system. In November 2002, the capacity was increased to 64Kb. A register of all cardholders is kept by the National Registration Department (JPN) of Malaysia, which operates the MyKad system.
Citizens own a blue coloured card, while that for permanent residents is red; the MyKid is pink in colour. The MyKad project was developed at a cost of RM276 million and was originally intended to have four functions:
- Identity card, including fingerprints and photo
- Driving licence
- Passport in Malaysia and several neighbouring countries, although a conventional passport is still required internationally - this should reduce congestion at Malaysian borders as holders will pass through unmanned gates using biometric (fingerprint) identification
- storage for health information
However, four further applications were added before or during its initial release,
- e-cash, though with a maximum limit of US$ 500, intended for low value but high volume transactions
- ATM integration
- Touch 'n Go, Malaysia's toll road tolling system and also public transport payment system
- Digital certificate, commonly known as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), only supported by the 64Kb version (implemented by the end of 2002)
At this time, most of the functions are still not widely used because they are not widely promoted.
The extensible design of the card may be leading to functionality creep. Further applications envisaged by the government include:
- frequent travellers' card
- a merge with the Payment Multi-Purpose Card ('PMPC'), giving the MyKad credit and debit card functions that will pave the way for other financial uses
The MyKid has no photograph of the owner, and only contains three categories of data:
- personal information and limited information on the parents
- health information
- education information, for enrollment in school
Information on race and religion is included in the MyKad and these are stored on the chip. However, if the stated religion is Islam, the word 'ISLAM' would be printed on the card. There have been numerous errors, of up to 25% in one church congregation, in the religion field, leading to speculation of a conspiracy to mark non-Muslim cardholders as Muslim[1]. Previously, those whose religion had been recorded incorrectly might have had to pay a fee, or undergo tedious negotiations including the production of baptismal certificates or other letters, to fix their information. In December 2005, the government apologized for the problems caused and attempted to rectify the correction procedure by providing a single form, Form A. The main cause of the problem was probably that, depending on the way one applied for the MyKad, such information was not always entered. For those with errors, the government has assured that the fix will be free of charge.
The numbering of the individual MyKad utilizes a 12-digit numbering system (usual format: YYMMDD-BP-###G, used since 1991) known as the Identification Card number (IC) is issued to MyKad holders. On the back of the card, there is an additional 2-digit number after the 12-digit number to indicate the number of MyKad which a person previously held.
The MyKad Indentification Card number follows the format, YYMMDD-BP-###G where YYMMDD represent the holder's birth date but this is not always the case as this is an unofficial feature. This allows the system to take into account cases where the holder is unable to prove his or her actual date of birth according to the Gregorian calendar due to lack of documentation, translation of calendars or simply not knowing. Unfortunately, general acceptance of this as the official date of birth has led to much confusion and error.
The ###G represents generic serial numbers. The odd numbers for G denotes male while the even numbers denote female, although this may not always be the case as well. In such rare cases, a simple clerical error may cause a male being issued an Identification Card number ending with an even number, and vice versa. However, this error can be rectified at the time of collection of the card, if the holder is aware what the numbers stand for. Otherwise, the cardholder may proceed to use the number issued by the NRD.
[edit] BP codes - Codes representing place of birth
The BP code is the 7th and 8th digit of the 12-digit Malaysian Identity Card Number. The code is based on the place of birth of the MyKad holder, which will be referred from the birth certificate upon application of the MyKad.
Below are the codes used for BP which represent the state of birth (within Malaysia) and country of birth (outside Malaysia) for the MyKad holder.[1]
| BP code | States and Federal Territories within Malaysia |
|---|---|
| 01, 21, 22, 23, 24 |  Johor |
| 02, 25, 26, 27 |  Kedah |
| 03, 28, 29 |  Kelantan |
| 04, 30 |  Malacca |
| 05, 31, 59 |  Negeri Sembilan |
| 06, 32, 33 |  Pahang |
| 07, 34, 35 | .svg){kind=small} Penang |
| 08, 36, 37, 38, 39 |  Perak |
| 09, 40 |  Perlis |
| 10, 41, 42, 43, 44 |  Selangor |
| 11, 45, 46 |  Terengganu |
| 12, 47, 48, 49 |  Sabah |
| 13, 50, 51, 52, 53 |  Sarawak |
| 14, 54, 55, 56, 57 |  Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur |
| 15, 58 |  Federal Territory of Labuan |
| 16 | Federal Territory of Putrajaya |
.svg){kind=small}
[edit] PKI and MyKad
MyKad PKI application allows for two digital certificates to be inserted in the MyKad. MyKad holders can apply and purchase the digital certificates from two of Malaysia's certification authority, MSCTrustgate.com Sdn. Bhd. and DigiCert Sdn. Bhd..
PKI allows for easy securing of private data over public telecommunications networks, thus allowing, secure electronic transactions over the Internet which include:
- Online submission of tax returns
- Internet banking
- Secure email
[edit] MyKad as a travel document
Frequent travellers between Malaysia and Brunei can use MyKad as a travel document[2].
As Malaysia stopped issuing and renewing Restricted Passports beginning on 1 January 2006, Malaysia considered negotiating with Singapore to allow frequent Malaysian travellers to enter Singapore using MyKad. However, Singapore rejected the use of MyKad by frequent Malaysian travellers to enter the country, citing security concerns.
[edit] Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Flagship
The MyKad is one of the seven Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Flagship Applications of the Malaysian government. The others are:
- Electronic Government
- Borderless Marketing
- World Wide Web Manufacturing
- R & D Cluster
- Telehealth
- Smart School
[edit] National Registration Act 1959 (Act 78) and Regulations
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6 of the National Registration Act 1959 the Minister makes the following regulations:
<omitted>
8. Power to require the production of identity card within protected area or protected place.
Any authorized officer as defined by the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959 may in his discretion require any person entering or found within any protected area or protected place to produce his identity card or his Government multi-purpose card, as the case may be, and upon being satisfied with the identity of that person, shall return the identity card or the Government multi-purpose card to him, and thereafter issue a temporary identity pass or permit for so long as such person remains within such area or place.
8A. Detaining an identity card of another person is an offence.
It shall be an offence punishable under regulation 25 for any reason, not being an officer referred to under subregulation 7(1) to unreasonably detain any identity card other than his own.
<omitted>
No unauthorized persons, including security guards, are allowed to retain the MyKads (identity cards) of other people. Only those authorized by the National Registration Department, like the police and immigration officers, can do so, said National Registration Department director-general Mohd Abdul Halim Muhammad.
He said that the National Registration Act clearly states that only authorized personnel could ask visitors to show them their MyKads for identity verification and recording purposes. The MyKads must be returned to the visitors immediately, he said.
"The law states clearly that any security personnel who retains another person’s MyKad is committing an offence and liable to be charged under the Act."
Abdul Halim told The Star this when asked to comment on complaints from several readers that security officers in public buildings and gated communities retained their MyKads before allowing them to enter.
"Even departments like the Road Transport Department must get the authority card from NRD to request for MyKads in the process of their work or enforcement," he said.
[edit] References
- ^ "List of State's Code". National Registration Department (NRD), Malaysia. http://www.jpn.gov.my/BI/info/statecode.html. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
- ^ Malaysia and Brunei to allow frequent travellers to use ICs
- Knight, Will. "Malaysia pioneers smart cards with fingerprint data", New Scientist, September 21, 2001
- MyKid for all newborn babies soon, The Star, 26 February 2003
- Thomas, M. Is Malaysia's MyKad the 'One Card to Rule Them All'? The Urgent Need to Develop a Proper Legal Framework for the Protection of Personal Information in Malaysia, Melbourne University Law Review, 2004
- Krishnamoorthy, M. Easy step to amend religion in MyKad, December 23, 2005
- Sujata, V.P. "Applicants to be charged a fee from next year", The Star, December 29, 2005
- "Mad rush to beat the deadline", The Star, December 30, 2005
- "Abusive bunch forces Kepong branch to call in cops", The Star, December 30, 2005
- Anis, M.N. Singapore 'no' to MyKad, The Star, April 6, 2005.
- Fadzil, M.M. The Malaysian Experience: Implementing A National Multi-applications Citizen's Card - see here for further details of the exact information stored on the card
- Raja Petra Kamarudin Give them a uniform and it goes to their heads, Malaysia Today, October 13, 2005.
- National Registration Act 1959 (Act 78) and Regulations, International Law Book Services, January 15, 2007.
[edit] External links
- MyKad website at the National Registration Department
- News article from ContactLess News with photo of MyKad
- IRIS Corp Bhd Local Company given the task of producing and research of the MYKAD and MYKID
- MyKad Readers and Solutions website.
- MyKad developers website.
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