MAY 10 — This one is dedicated to all the JPJ, UTC and post office counter officers who I’m sure have seen this happen a million times.
You go to renew your driver’s license or what-not face to face (at the post office or JPJ).
Since the government is encouraging everyone to go digital, you’re asked only for your IC and told that your renewed licence will be updated and the updated details will be reflected in your MyJPJ.
You go, “Okay, terima kasih.” You pay for your licence renewal, you wait four minutes, voilà (!), your licence is renewed. Hooray. You wish to get some visual confirmation, so what do you do? Here is where it gets interesting.
You are told that in order to see the latest details you need to open your MyJPJ app. Great, you open your MyJPJ app, happily expecting to see your driver’s licence expiry date moved a few years into the future. Only to be told that you can only log into MyJPJ via MyDigital ID.
FYI, as of May 2026, MyDigital ID will be mandatory for logging into major government apps. One, uh, login to rule them all sort of thing.
And here is where we expect to see numerous folks standing and typing awkwardly and in half-panicky mode at post offices and JPJ branches and UTC offices nationwide.
Because some people (perhaps thousands) still have not downloaded and installed MyDigital ID.
Because some people (perhaps thousands) who installed MyDigital ID can’t remember their password to that app to save their lives. Can hardly blame them with the dozens of passwords we have to hold in our heads like juggling balls.
Because some people (perhaps thousands) are using old phones which have trouble opening so many apps already and thus tend to freeze when MyJPJ automatically opens both MyDigital ID and the web browser. God bless these people if they have cache issues.
Because many people (surely more than thousands), despite having none of the above issues, still have trouble logging in to MyDigital ID due to high demand and system overload.
Ergo? Lots of people taking up space in many government agencies, standing around and getting stared at because they’re taking an eternity to check their licence or road tax or vehicle ownership details and so on.
From the look on the face of the guy serving me at the Taman Paramount post office last week, I can tell he was thinking, “Sigh, yet another dude who can’t remember his MyDigital ID password and will hog the space and stand there awkwardly until he either miraculously finds it or gives up entirely and storms out.”
Moral of the story? Make sure you know your MyDigital ID login details like the back of your hand.
I can just imagine in the future if a policeman stops you and asks for your driver’s licence and, because you dah lupa your MyDigital ID password (or just cannot log in), you and him wait for 30 minutes while the “hour-glass” showing on your phone spins on and on and on (face palm).
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
