AN elderly relative of mine encounters problems whenever she has to do banking transactions, especially when withdrawing money as the MyKad thumb reader is unable to read her thumbprints. This is a common among the elderly as the skin’s elasticity decreases with age.
The bank instructed my relative to go to the National Registration Department (NRD) to get an acknowledgement letter of identity for a fee of RM5 to indicate that she was the holder of the MyKad.
We went to an NRD branch in Puchong, the nearest to my relative’s home, but was informed that cases of worn out prints and unreadable chips that cannot be read by the MyKad reader must be handled by NRD Putrajaya. Other branches cannot issue the acknowledgement letter.
It is a hassle for my relative to go to NRD Putrajaya for a simple verification. After all, the photo on the MyKad looks like her and she has other documents, such as a birth certificate, to prove her identity.
Without the letter, banking transactions performed by my relative will be a tedious affair, including opening fixed deposit accounts and applying for an automatic teller card.
Hopefully, all NRD branches will be able to provide an acknowledgement letter in the future. Decentralisation of this service would mean that it would be more convenient for elderly people to obtain it.
Ng Shu Tsung, Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur