Dr Wee: ‘Getting their identity cards means a lot to them, as it will enable them to apply for passports and other official documents.’
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has agreed to allocate RM2mil to provide in-person services to about 3,500 Malaysians residing in the United States to renew their MyKid or MyKad, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had personally assured him of the allocation after a discussion with officials from the National Registration Department on Oct 10.
“This allocation will enable the Home Ministry to send a team of officers to the United States to assist Malaysians in renewing their identification papers without having to travel back to Malaysia.
“Getting their identity cards means a lot to them.
“It will enable them to apply for passports and other official documents,” he told reporters after attending the Wanita MCA pre-annual general meeting dinner here on Friday.
Dr Wee highlighted the predicament faced by many Malaysian children who had moved to the United States with their parents in the 1990s.
This is especially those who were below 12 years old at the time and only held the MyKid, thus encountering issues when applying for Malaysian passports at their embassy in the United States.
“As a result, they have been stranded in the United States and unable to obtain green cards or even proper identification, leading to problems related to employment, marriage and so on.
“Besides, they would not be able to re-enter the United States when they leave for Malaysia to get their papers sorted out,” he added.
Dr Wee said he was alerted about the issue during a dialogue with the Malaysia Association of America (MAA) in 2005 when he attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York as a representative of Parliament.
He had also previously raised this matter with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who responded positively and met with representatives from the MAA for more details.
“During my discussion with the Prime Minister on Oct 10, he mentioned that similar issues exist in Mecca and expressed his willingness to provide assistance,” said Dr Wee.
He voiced his gratitude to both Anwar and Saifuddin Nasution “for making the dreams of these Malaysians come true.”
“This initiative will bring stability to their families and ease their concerns about their future,” he added.
He said some of these affected Malaysians in the United States had faced hurdles in pursuing higher education or starting a family.
In April, The Star reported that the Malaysian Consulate-General in New York had issued a notice stating that the government has consented to in-person services for Malaysians needing to renew their MyKid or MyKad, without the need to travel home to do so.
The notice stated that the Malaysian Embassy in Washington, together with the consulates-general in New York and Los Angeles, was planning to conduct in-person services for MyKad and MyKid renewals for the affected group of Malaysians based in the United States.
This was after MAA founder Kim Bong, who is based in New York, highlighted the predicament faced by such Malaysians during a meeting with Saifuddin Nasution in January, with the help of Dr Wee.
