By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) takes note of the announcement by Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on the rollout of a new MyKad with enhanced security features beginning June 2026.
We state clearly:
This is not a solution.
This is a distraction.
1. THIS IS NOT REFORM — THIS IS DAMAGE CONTROL
The Government presents the new MyKad as a major breakthrough in identity security.
Let us be precise:
A more secure card does not correct an insecure system.
For decades, Sabah has faced serious allegations — confirmed by the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah 2013 — that identity documents were issued through unlawful and irregular processes.
The issue was never about weak plastic cards.
The issue was about how those cards were given in the first place.
2. PROJECT IC WAS NOT A TECHNICAL FAILURE — IT WAS AN INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE
Project IC did not happen because of poor card design.
It happened because:
– processes were bypassed
– enforcement was compromised
– accountability was absent
No QR code, no chip, and no encryption system can address that.
You cannot digitise your way out of a governance failure.
3. THE REAL QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS TO EXISTING MYKAD HOLDERS?
The Government has not answered the most critical issue:
What happens to those who already possess MyKad obtained through questionable means?
Will there be:
– a full audit of existing records?
– revocation of fraudulently obtained citizenship?
– prosecution of those responsible?
Or will they simply be allowed to transition into a new, more secure system — with their status untouched?
If so, then this exercise does not solve the problem.
It legitimises it.
4. RCI RECOMMENDATIONS IGNORED — AGAIN
The Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah 2013 did not call for better card technology.
It called for:
– systemic investigation
– institutional reform
– enforcement action
More than a decade later:
The findings remain largely unimplemented.
Instead of accountability, we are given upgrades.
Instead of answers, we are given announcements.
5. SABAH’S DEMOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY IS NOT A TECH PROJECT
Sabah’s issue is not about identity verification.
It is about:
– demographic manipulation
– electoral integrity
– constitutional rights of the people of Sabah
Under Federal Constitution of Malaysia, including Article 161A, the rights and position of the indigenous peoples of Sabah must be protected.
A system that allows questionable citizenship to persist is not neutral.
It is a direct threat to those rights.
6. A STRONGER CARD CANNOT FIX A COMPROMISED DATABASE
Let us be clear:
If the database is compromised,
then the card — no matter how advanced — only reinforces that compromise.
This is the fundamental issue the Government refuses to confront.
CONCLUSION: TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY IS DECEPTION
BoPiMaFo calls on the Federal Government to stop presenting technical upgrades as structural solutions.
We demand:
– Full implementation of the RCI findings
– Independent audit of citizenship records in Sabah
– Transparent reporting to Parliament
– Immediate action against any proven irregularities
Until then, this “new MyKad” is not reform.
It is a digital cover over an unresolved national scandal.
“You cannot secure the future while refusing to confront the past.”
NEW MYKAD, OLD PROBLEM” — TECHNOLOGY CANNOT ERASE PROJECT IC
By Daniel John Jambun
Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) takes note of the announcement by Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on the rollout of a new MyKad with enhanced security features beginning June 2026.
We state clearly:
This is not a solution.
This is a distraction.
1. THIS IS NOT REFORM — THIS IS DAMAGE CONTROL
The Government presents the new MyKad as a major breakthrough in identity security.
Let us be precise:
A more secure card does not correct an insecure system.
For decades, Sabah has faced serious allegations — confirmed by the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah 2013 — that identity documents were issued through unlawful and irregular processes.
The issue was never about weak plastic cards.
The issue was about how those cards were given in the first place.
2. PROJECT IC WAS NOT A TECHNICAL FAILURE — IT WAS AN INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE
Project IC did not happen because of poor card design.
It happened because:
– processes were bypassed
– enforcement was compromised
– accountability was absent
No QR code, no chip, and no encryption system can address that.
You cannot digitise your way out of a governance failure.
3. THE REAL QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS TO EXISTING MYKAD HOLDERS?
The Government has not answered the most critical issue:
What happens to those who already possess MyKad obtained through questionable means?
Will there be:
– a full audit of existing records?
– revocation of fraudulently obtained citizenship?
– prosecution of those responsible?
Or will they simply be allowed to transition into a new, more secure system — with their status untouched?
If so, then this exercise does not solve the problem.
It legitimises it.
4. RCI RECOMMENDATIONS IGNORED — AGAIN
The Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah 2013 did not call for better card technology.
It called for:
– systemic investigation
– institutional reform
– enforcement action
More than a decade later:
The findings remain largely unimplemented.
Instead of accountability, we are given upgrades.
Instead of answers, we are given announcements.
5. SABAH’S DEMOGRAPHIC INTEGRITY IS NOT A TECH PROJECT
Sabah’s issue is not about identity verification.
It is about:
– demographic manipulation
– electoral integrity
– constitutional rights of the people of Sabah
Under Federal Constitution of Malaysia, including Article 161A, the rights and position of the indigenous peoples of Sabah must be protected.
A system that allows questionable citizenship to persist is not neutral.
It is a direct threat to those rights.
6. A STRONGER CARD CANNOT FIX A COMPROMISED DATABASE
Let us be clear:
If the database is compromised,
then the card — no matter how advanced — only reinforces that compromise.
This is the fundamental issue the Government refuses to confront.
CONCLUSION: TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY IS DECEPTION
BoPiMaFo calls on the Federal Government to stop presenting technical upgrades as structural solutions.
We demand:
– Full implementation of the RCI findings
– Independent audit of citizenship records in Sabah
– Transparent reporting to Parliament
– Immediate action against any proven irregularities
Until then, this “new MyKad” is not reform.
It is a digital cover over an unresolved national scandal.
“You cannot secure the future while refusing to confront the past.”
