Undi18: Sabah PH youth chiefs urge govt to withdraw, update MyKads

9 Sept 2021 By Wartawan Nabalu News KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) youth chiefs have urged the government to get MyKads withdrawn and updated before giving them back to eligible Malaysians for the automatic registration of Undi 18. Upko youth chief Felix Joseph Saang and DAP Sabah youth chief Phoong Jin Zhe said the registration has to go through a transparent mechanism to ensure that it would not involve those who have obtained identity cards illegally. “We know that the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) has proven that there was a scandal regarding the issuance of identity cards through the use of malpractice and abuse of power in the state of Sabah. “Indeed, the youths of Malaysia were proud that the High Court’s decision on September 3 had favoured the Undi 18 implementation. But at the same time, we do not want to see those who have obtained their identification cards illegally take this opportunity to spread out, thus posing a threat to national sovereignty,” said the youth chiefs in a joint statement, today. Citing a newspaper report, they said an incident that took place in Tawau where 12 out of 15 illegal immigrants managed to escape a roadblock was worrying. “We would also like to invite all parties to recall the brutal murder case involving a security guard who shot a bank officer in Subang Jaya on October 24, 2013. “Many would still remember this case. The woman died at the scene, causing her two children and her husband to lose a loved one. “We know after the investigation, it was discovered that the security guard had used a fake identity card from Sabah. Just look at the severe consequences that can be brought by issuing identity cards illegally. “In this regard, we would like to urge the government to withdraw and update the identity cards or MyKads and to only distribute them to those eligible. This is not impossible. “This can be proven by the fact that the National Registration Department (NRD) has updated the identity card in the country several times (at least about four times),” they asserted. They added that the NRD should use the same concept but with stricter filtering and if cannot be done simultaneously across the country, the government should opt to start in Sabah as the state is deeply affected by this. “We would like to once again express our support for the implementation of Undi 18. “However, the implementation of automatic registration should be further delayed and manual registration shall be used as an alternative for the moment.”