Amidst concerns over privacy issues relating to the use of MyKad, the microchip-based identity card, Home Affairs Minister Azmi Khalid said today that banking and health particulars of card holders will be accessible only to approved authorities and organisations.

Azmi said that, while personal information such as the cardholder's birth date will be accessible by many agencies, stricter controls are implemented for other personal details.

"For bank account details, the rule is that (the information) will be specific to the bank. If you have an account with Maybank, only Maybank will be able to read your MyKad. If it is relating to health, then only doctors will be able to read it," he said at a press conference at the National Registration Department headquarters in Petaling Jaya this morning.

Azmi said control on access to information stored in MyKad will be set in the card readers but he acknowledged that problems could arise in future over privacy issues.

"There will be some problems but we are now looking at ways of (addressing) them," he said.

Cardholder's choice

The minister said cardholders can choose whether or not to activate functions on the MyKad, such as its use as a driving licence.

"It is not made compulsory. (The public) has the choice. The government has yet to make a decision (on whether to make it compulsory)," he said.

The Personal Data Protection Bill is being drafted, but Azmi said the instrument is not yet ready for public viewing.

"As far as I know, the bill has not gone to the cabinet yet," he said.

Last week, the Bar Council urged the government to put in place new laws to safeguard unauthorised use of personal data obtained from MyKad.

The newly-appointed Home Affairs Minister was earlier briefed by NRD director-general Wan Ibrahim Wan Ahmad on the functions and roles of the department.

Azmi was accompanied by his deputy Tan Chai Ho, parliamentary secretary Abdul Rahman Ibrahim and the ministry's secretary-general Aseh Che Mat.

Hike in fines

The Home Minister also announced a new policy and fine structure to deal with MyKad applicants who have not collected their identity cards, even months after the cards were issued.

Azmi said more than 330,000 cards remain unclaimed at the NRD more than six months after they were due for collection.

"The previous regulation allowed for people to collect their cards within two years after which they are fined RM30. But from today, we are giving them three months to pick up the cards. If they don't do so by then, we will fine them RM100 per card," he said.

The minister said the grace period will expire on July 6.

Azmi said the hike in fines is to cut down on the department's need to find storage space for the cards and to cut down on manpower requirements to handle the volume of unclaimed cards.

"We don't have a policy to cancel the cards. They are identity cards belonging to people but we may raise fees later. We will see how this goes," he added.

On the adoption rate of MyKad, Azmi said the department has issued its nine millionth MyKad, thereby marking the midway point towards ensuring that all 18 million eligible Malaysians are issued with their respective smart cards by December 2005.

A total of 188,888 MyKid cards for children have also been issued since the card was launched last year.

"The NRD will be increasing its capacity over the next 20 months to avoid an overload in MyKad applications come the end of 2005. The department will be extending its office hours and opening offices during the weekends to cope with the increased load.

"At the moment, the NRD can process 12,000 applications per day but we are receiving an average of 20,000 applications," he added.

The MyKad, was introduced in September 2001, making Malaysia a pioneer country in the use of the 'smart card' - a plastic card embedded with a 64k microchip capable of storing a variety of information in addition to functioning as a cash card.