Malaysian Association of America (MAA) Chairman, Tony Pang Jun Xiong, and Co-Chairman, Liao Rui Long, announced on October 17th that for the first time in history, the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs and the Malaysian National Registration Department conducted a campaign overseas to update Malaysian identity cards (IC) and issue replacement birth certificates for Malaysian citizens residing in the United States. The services were offered at the Consulate General of Malaysia in New York starting from October 7th and are set to conclude at noon on October 21st. Nearly 3000 people have registered for appointments, with 99% being Malaysian Chinese.
Pang Jun Xiong stated that after over a decade of advocating for Malaysian expatriates in the United States, the MAA successfully persuaded the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs to send officials to the U.S. for the purpose of assisting Malaysian expatriates in exchanging their identity cards and obtaining replacement birth certificates. Five officials dispatched by the Malaysian government arrived in New York on October 7th, marking their second stop after the Middle East. This initiative, which began with assisting Malaysian expatriates in obtaining the new generation identity cards with microchips, fulfills a long-standing need of the Malaysian expatriate community, resolving historical issues where some were unable to return to Malaysia for identity card updates and birth certificate replacements.
The service has been well received by Malaysian expatriates, with appointments fully booked within three days of opening. Nearly 3000 individuals have registered, with 99% being Malaysian Chinese. Malaysian officials are processing applications for 120-150 individuals daily. Since the forms require completion in Malay, the MAA has enlisted the help of four to five volunteers to assist expatriates on-site with filling out the forms.
However, there are expatriates residing in other states who were unable to participate in this round of services due to work, transportation, and scheduling constraints. In response to this, Tony Pang Jun Xiong mentioned that those individuals can contact the MAA at 341-629-9687 to register their names, and the association will endeavor to coordinate with officials from the Malaysian National Registration Department for a return visit to New York.
The Malaysian officials’ next destination will be the United Kingdom, where they will be issuing the new version of identity cards with microchips for Malaysian expatriates.