Mekar programme helps disabled man to finally get a MyKad

KUALA NERUS: A 25-year wait for Hazbillah Rasid, 37, to get an identity card ended yesterday when he received the document through the National Registration Department’s (NRD) ‘Menyemai Kasih Rakyat’ (Mekar) programme.

The identity card was handed over by NRD director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh himself to Hazbillah’s mother, Siti Meriam Ngah, 64, at their residence in Kampung Kubang Tepak Manir here.

Siti Meriam said Hazbillah, her fifth of six siblings, started having fits due to high fever at three months of age, and was categorised as a Person With Disability (PwD).

“He only has a birth certificate. In the past, I didn’t have transportation to take him to register for his identity card at the NRD, and I did not want to burden people by asking for a lift to go to the NRD.

“Only lately, we came to know about the Mekar programme. His siblings immediately applied in 2020, and Hazbillah’s problem has finally ended today,” she said when met by reporters.

Siti Meriam said that she was thankful that her son still qualified for government aid despite not having an identity card, as local leaders had helped a lot in easing the family’s affairs.

Meanwhile, Ruslin said the NRD Mekar programme was an on-the-field programme for the issuance of identification documents such as MyKad and birth certificates to PwD, senior citizens, bedridden patients and those living in the interiors.

“It is a productive approach by the NRD in ensuring every qualified resident in Malaysia is given valid identification documents, which also enables them to enjoy various facilities offered by the government,” he added.