Passport blunder shows serious failure in planning and testing, says MP

Malaysian immigration authorities abruptly halted the issuance of passports with a validity exceeding 10 years following complaints from travelers at check-in with certain overseas airlines. Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng harshly criticized the department for this oversight, emphasizing that such errors demonstrate a fundamental flaw in the planning and testing processes.

While the introduction of the 10-year passport in July 1 was initially welcomed as a convenience for citizens, Lim argued that merely declaring an idea does not absolve the government from accountability if it fails to execute effectively. The immigration department curtailed the issuance of long-validity passports in response to the reported issues, with Immigration Director-General Zakaria Shaaban attributing the problems to misunderstandings with airlines regarding minimum six-month validity requirements.

Shaaban assured that ICAO's regulations did not prohibit passports with longer validity, but the department opted for a temporary solution by issuing only 10-year passports until the matter was resolved with ICAO and airlines. Existing passport holders with longer validity would receive complimentary replacements, each also limited to 10 years.

Lim highlighted that 26,000 passports with extended validity had been issued before the issue was rectified, causing significant financial setbacks for the nation. He called for an immediate, independent audit to determine who was responsible for proposing, testing, and approving the flawed policy, as well as to disclose the total expenses incurred in replacing the affected passports.