Stiffer fines for losing MyKad, home minister warns

IPOH, Nov 26 — Stiffer penalties are needed to curb the incredibly high cases of lost MyKad, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said. “The ministry is exploring the possibility of amending the Fees Act 1951 to allow for stiffer penalties. “We can no longer compromise on people losing their MyKad, especially in view of the more than 500,000 MyKad reported lost from 2010 to 2013,” he said.
Zahid said exemption should be given to those who lose their MyKad during a crime such as robbery and theft. “However, these would have to be verified by the police upon lodging a report.” Zahid’s comments follow The Malay Mail Insight yesterday that many people were reporting their MyKad lost and getting replacements easily without any fuss.
On the new penalty structure and the timeline for its implementation, he said the matter was being studied.  Presently, a lost MyKad will incur a fine of RM110, RM220 and RM330 for the first, second and subsequent replacements.  Zahid was speaking to reporters after visiting the state police headquarters here yesterday. He said the state police had made 117 arrests under the special preventive measures since the start of Ops Cantas Khas last August. “The arrests — the highest nationwide — have crippled many triad activities. “Criminals from other states hiding in Perak have also been nabbed,” he said, adding that the arrests would further reduce the crime rate. Meanwhile, he said the ministry would step in to resolve the delayed relocation of the state police headquarters in the city centre to Bandar Meru Raya. “The company which was awarded the project had encountered legal and cash flow problems but public safety is more important than commercial interest,” he said, adding that new premises for the district police headquarters in Kampar and Tanjung Malim had also been affected.
--TheMalayMail