Retired sergeant lives like an immigrant without MyKad

KANGAR: A retired soldier who was a staff-sergeant had to live like an “illegal immigrant” for four years without any selfidentification due to bureaucratic procedure after retiring from the Royal Malaysian Army in October 2016.

Justan Latahang, 44 from Beseri, Padang Besar said lack of MyKad forced him to face difficulties in obtaining facilities as a Malaysian citizen such as free medical services, schooling aid for his children and even worse was the inability to apply for a permanent job.

“No one want to employ me... my application to work as a security guard too was turned down,” he told Bernama recently.

The father of three children said he had to depend on his meagre military pension to sustain his family while his wife was unemployed.

“I fear if I continue to fail to obtain MyKad, it would affect the future of my children to continue their education as all application to join educational institution now had to be done online,” he said as he massaged his forehead thinking of his children’s future.

Justan said he had previously made several appeals to National Registration Department (JPN) Putrajaya and Sabah, but still failed to get the MyKad.

He said a JPN official in Sabah told him that the serial number of his birth certificate duplicated with that of another individual’s and resulting in the Sabah JPN not being able to issue a replacement MyKad for him.

“Now I am still waiting for a letter from the Sabah JPN to undergo a DNA test as informed earlier but after waiting for almost half-a-year I am still waiting for a reply,” he said.

Justan said he had gone to Sabah on four occasions to deal with the Registration Department there but still failed to get a replacement card (MyKad).

He also feared that if he still fail to get his MyKad, he would face problems getting his pension in the future. — Bernama