There is a law that requires Malaysians to carry their MyKad on them at all times but this does not mean the country is a 'police state', Home Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Abdul Rahman Ibrahim told Parliament yesterday.

Under section 25(1) of the National Registration Act (1990) (Amendment 2000), which has not been fully enforced till now, citizens are required to carry their identity cards at all times or risk a fine of not more than RM20,000 and a three-year jail term or both, he said in replying to a question from Chor Chee Heung (BN- Alor Star).

Abdul Rahman added that the prescribed fines were to create awareness among Malaysians on the importance of carrying identity cards. He said the MyKad has made it easier for the authorities to check on the citizenship of someone and to identify victims of accidents, crime and natural disasters.

"MyKad is the easiest way for enforcement authorities to check whether the person is a Malaysian citizen or not.

"Identity cards are an important aspect of national security and also personal security but the ruling to always carry them must not reflect that Malaysia is a police state," he stressed.

MyKad quality

Replying to Chor's supplementary question, Abdul Rahman explained that the MyKad could not be forged. However, he said that applicants could provide false personal details when applying for the identity card.

He also revealed that there were 155 cases of MyKads being tampered, involving changing of the photo and information on the front.

Earlier, Chor had also asked if the quality of MyKad would be improved, saying there were reports of the card breaking within two years of being issued.

Abdul Rahman replied that according to the National Registration Department, there were not many reports of the card breaking but promised to look into enhancing the quality of the MyKad.