The Deputy Home Affairs Minister recently announced the government's plan to introduce smart identity cards. This came after the whole nation had laboriously renewed the old IC with the new (now not very) IC over the past 10 years or so with a lot of hassle and frustration. What a waste of the people's time and taxpayers' money.

Now we are told that the smart IC will cost RM30 each. The government will 'generously' bear RM10 (isn't this the taxpayer's money, too?) while the people will need to pay RM20 for the renewal of his/her IC.

Can the honourable Deputy Minister tell us:

1) Which company has been awarded the contract to supply the smart ICs. Just imagine this - 22 million people multiplied by RM30 = RM630 million! Was there an open tender? If not, why not? Why RM30 and not RM10? Who decided on the award of tender?

2) Was there proper evaluation done on the practicality of the smart IC? Please bear in mind the shortcomings of our smart passport. How is it that our 'new' IC needed to be replaced after being put in use only sometime ago? Was there a post-mortem to find out its shortcomings? If not, why?

Our ever-obedient civil-servants will always use such catch phrases like 'smart' or 'we are the first in the world...' to side-step the issue. Mind you, being the first in the world not necessarily means the best, but most often than not it means being the first to be laughed at.

Please, can someone up there come to his senses? We need the RM630 million to be put to better uses.