KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian passport continues to be the pride of Malaysians when it was recognised as Regional ID Document of the Year for 2018 at the High Security Printing Asia Global Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday.
As the first country in the world to develop and introduce ePassport in 1998, the latest version of the electronic passport launched in Nov 2017 was completed with security features including a chip embedded in the polycarbonate personal data page.
The ePassport was jointly developed by the Immigration Department and Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd.
Private sector staff Zainizam Mohd Daud, 45, said apart from facilitating travel, the sophisticated security features also made the Malaysian passport difficult to forge.
“We all know that the passport is the pulse of Malaysians when they are abroad and it is the identity of every citizen when they are in the country.
“It is very easy for the authorities such as the Immigration Department to detect all information of the passport holder,” he said.
Civil worker Masnor Mastor, 39, is also proud of the recognition bestowed on the Malaysian electronic passport at an international level.
“The security element is the main feature which could be emulated by other countries.
“The people also feel secure when their personal data is well-protected and it has been recognised as an innovative product technically,” he said.
Businesswoman Shazlina Mohamad, 29, who frequently travels to Bangkok, Thailand on business, found that the ePassport facilitated her journeys.
“I do not need to wait long at the immigration counter as the scanning machine could identify me very quickly,” she said. – Bernama
