AUDIT REPORT | The i-Kad, which was introduced as a personal identification document for migrant workers, still fails to function as such, the Auditor-General’s Report has revealed.

The second series of the report said that audits conducted between Dec 2016 and March 2017 found that migrant workers were still being arrested despite carrying i-Kads.

With the i-Kad, migrant workers were no longer required to carry their passports with them at all times.

Citing a survey conducted on employers, the report noted that 84 out of 134 employers said that police did not recognise the i-Kad as an official identification document, which led to migrant workers being arrested.

"This is because the police have difficulties verifying the authenticity of the i-Kad and would have to refer to the Immigration Department or Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd (PNMB) to verify the document," the report said.

Checks by the audit department on five companies in five different work sectors found that 245 of 256 migrant workers had their i-Kad with them.

The Immigration Department also confirmed that a letter dated Aug 11 this year had been sent to employers to ensure that their workers carried the cards.

"However, the audit believes that the i-Kad as an identification document has not been satisfactory because there are migrant workers who continue to be detained by the authorities," the report read.

Apart from this, it was also stated in the report that some of the cards either failed to be submitted or were submitted late to employers.

It was recommended that all i-Kad be submitted to the respective employers promptly.

The report also recommended that coordination efforts with relevant authorities, such as the police, be conducted through a letter informing of the usage of the i-Kad, or through a joint meeting to recognise it as a valid identification document for migrant workers.