Is it true that you must have a machine-readable MyKad to vote in the GE15 general election?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : You Need A Readable MyKad To Vote In Election!
This warning has gone viral on WhatsApp, claiming that you will be barred from voting in GE15 if you do not have a readable MyKad.
Breaking News 2-11-22…😱😪🙇🏻🤦🏻♂️
Ensure your MyKad is machine readable. Friday, I went to the bank was surprised all their card reader could not read my NRIC. Good to discover it before election day otherwise, I could not vote! Is this another UMNO/ BN trick to disable IC? CIMB bank told me lately, many chinese/indian IC not readable.
确保您的 MyKad 是机器扫描可读的。 星期五,我去银行很惊讶他们所有的扫描读卡器都无法读取我的身份证。 很高兴在选举日之前发现它,否则我无法投票! 这是另一个巫统/国阵禁用IC的技巧吗? CIMB银行最近告诉我,很多华人/印度人IC扫描不可读。
Read more : Malaysia GE15 : Printing + Voting Hours Fact Check!
Truth : You Don’t Need A Readable MyKad To Vote In GE15!
These are just more examples of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : You Need To Bring Your MyKad
To vote in the GE15 general election, you must bring your MyKad – colloquially known as the IC (Identity Card).
The MyKad is really the only thing you need to verify your identity at the voting centre.
Fact #2 : No Requirement To Machine Verify Your MyKad
Election officials will verify your MyKad against the voter list for that particular polling station in your constituency.
They do not need to read your MyKad for any information, merely to confirm your identity.
Fact #3 : MyKad Chip Not Necessary For Identity Verification
Machine verification of the MyKad is only necessary at banks because they need to authenticate your fingerprint.
Fingerprint authentication is not required to vote in a general election in Malaysia. Therefore, there is no need for election officials to read the MyKad chip.
Recommended : Every Postal Vote Requires Malaysian Adult Witness!
Fact #4 : CIMB Bank Never Reported Problems With Chinese / Indian IC
The viral warning falsely claimed that CIMB Bank reported that many Chinese / Indian IC are not readable. That never happened, and is a complete lie.
Fact #5 : No One Can Remotely Disable MyKad Chip
The Malaysian identity card – MyKad – has an embedded chip with 32 KB / 64 GB / 80 KB EEPROM memory chip to support digital applications.
When the bank or a government agency needs to access the stored information, a chip reader extracts that information directly from your MyKad.
This chip cannot be remotely disabled by any nefarious government out to foil your right to vote in GE15. To do that, they will need to have physical access to your card.
Fact #6 : Disabling MyKad So Early Is Stupid
The plot of the viral warning is truly idiotic – the government is remotely disabling the identity cards of Chinese and Indian voters more than 2 weeks before the GE15 general election.
Never mind the fact that it’s not possible to remotely disable these cards (see Fact #5), disabling them more than 2 weeks before the general election would allow those voters to get replacement MyKads!
If there is really a plot to block Chinese or Indian voters by disabling their MyKad chips, it would make sense to only do it on election day!
Recommended : Bangladeshi Man With Malaysian IC + Chinese Name?!
Fact #7 : You Can Get Replacement MyKad Very Quickly!
Did you know that you can get a replacement MyKad in as little time as 33 minutes. In other words, even if your MyKad fails on election day, it is actually possible to get a replacement in less than an hour!
Applicants who choose to collect their MyKad at the Putrajaya NRD Headquarters and the Selected Branches with distributed printing machines may do so within 33 minutes. Those who choose to collect it at any NRD branch offices in Peninsular Malaysia will be able to do so within 5 working days. Any NRD branch offices in Sabah, Sarawak or Labuan will have the card ready for collection within 7 working days.
Fact #8 : There Are Easier Ways To Dilute Chinese / Indian Votes
The viral message insinuates that the government is trying to block Chinese / Indian citizens from voting in the GE15 general election.
The truth is – there are far easier and more reliable ways to dilute Chinese or Indian votes, than to hatch such a ridiculous plot.
Shifting demographics already mean that Chinese and Indian voters only account for some 22% and 6.5% of the electorate respectively. In other words – even if they all vote as a solid block, they are still a minority.
Gerrymandering also also ensured that cities, where most Chinese and Indian voters tend to congregate, have far fewer seats than rural areas.
Ultimately, the government of the day does not need to resort to such stupid and unworkable tactics to dilute the Chinese and Indian votes.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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