CDEDI urge parliamentary committee to probe NRB plans to change IDs
CDEDI has urged the Parliamentary Committee on defense and security to probe the National Registration Bureau(NRB’s) move to change the national ID without consultations
In it’s letter, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) said it has learnt with regret about allegations that the National Registration Bureau (NRB) is reportedly geared at making drastic changes to the national Identity Cards (IDs) that will result in the removal of the microchip and expiry date for the card, on the pretext of cutting production costs, without consultations with the concerned stakeholders.
According to CDEDI, the development is not only retrogressive, but it will also reduce the document into a useless plastic that will be susceptible to forgery.
CDEDI has also reminded the committee that the card was designed as a smart card, where the micro-chip contains encrypted information of fingerprints, photograph, signature and other security features on one hand, while the expiry date, besides being a requirement by law, that after ten years, it is necessary to update the photo to capture any changes in appearance and personal status and that he micro-chip and the expiry date are therefore very fundamental features that makes forgery extremely difficult.
Currently, Malawians in different parts of the country have not hidden their frustration with the delays of replacing the expired IDs.
