KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 8 — The National Registration Department (NRD) has issued a total of 169,346 New Generation MyKads nationwide between September 17 and October 6.

NRD Director-General Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias said the five states recording the highest issuance are the Federal Territories with 20,592 pieces; Johor (18,871); Sarawak (15,777); Sabah (13,711) and Selangor (13,452).

He said that so far, the response received from the public has been very encouraging due to the upgrade from 23 to 53 high-tech security features capable of curbing identity forgery issues.

“To accommodate the increase in applications for the New Generation MyKad, the NRD has increased card production centres from 60 to 70 nationwide. Only one is not yet operational, which is in the Langkawi district. However, it is in its final preparation stage and is expected to operate soon.

“Based on NRD records for the month of September, male applicants recorded a higher application percentage at 57 percent compared to females. However, we would like to advise the public not to rush to change their old MyKads to the new generation if the chip is still in good condition,” he said after the Mekar Komuniti programme at Taman Sinar Harapan, here today.

Also present was Terengganu NRD Director Awatif Hannan Md Yusup.

Badrul Hisham said 25 Mekar programmes have been implemented in Terengganu this year to facilitate the public, including persons with disabilities (OKU), Orang Asli, chronic patients, mental patients, and senior citizens in obtaining their MyKads.

He said these figures are not just achievement statistics, but rather depict the lives of the people touched through NRD services.

“In addition, the Terengganu NRD has also provided 1,314 advisory service sessions to the community this year. Behind a single piece of MyKad, there is a name, a life, an identity, dignity, and a human being.

“The NRD’s task is not just to manage identity cards, but to safeguard the people’s identity and the nation’s trust. We want an NRD that is not only efficient in its systems, but has heart in its services,” he said. — Bernama