Malaysia backtracks on national digital ID requirement for transport dept app

An app from Malaysia’s Road Transport Department caused a stir with an announcement that it will require its citizens to use the country’s digital ID system to continue to use an app that allows access to road tax and driving license information from October 10. The mandatory use of the national digital ID and the October 10 deadline have since been walked back by officials.

Malaysia introduced its MyDigital ID system late last year in a national push to develop its DPI, although adoption of the digital national identity has been slow, with registered users numbering just 800,000. Registrations for the digital ID jumped from 465,000 in early July to 700,000 in mid-September following the now-withdrawn deadline announcement, according to Twentytwo13.

But the push continues as the Southeast Asian country’s Road Transport Department (JPJ) has an app called MyJPJ for drivers to access their information, and which said in a popup message that it would require users to use the MyDigital ID single sign-on (SSO) system from next Thursday.

Since Malaysia’s Transport Ministry stopped requiring vehicle owners to display their road tax stickers, citizens have been able to prove the validity of their road tax via the MyJPJ app. This app is not the only way for drivers to review their driving license and road tax information, but MyJPJ has seen millions of downloads since its introduction in early 2023.

However, the announcement of the change to MyJPJ’s sign-in system has faced some high level criticism. Former deputy minister Ong Kian Ming, who was a proponent of the national digital identification system, said JPJ’s move was “a really bad idea” as the system has not been stress tested yet.

“It would be better to introduce an electronic version of our passport, which is accessible through MyDigital ID as a way to incentivise people to register and use MyDigital ID – a new product (with) new protocols,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today

While the former member of parliament for Bangi accepted that JPJ, with the largest database of active users, is an effective way to promote MyDigital ID, he said the new login approach shouldn’t be mandatory as the only login option to use the MyJPJ app.

The JPJ has explained that it would start to limit the use of its JPJeID system, which is currently used to sign into the app. “JPJeID will continue to exist but its use will be limited to the public portal (website) and JPJ kiosk,” it said in an FAQ for MyDigital ID. The move would have made JPJ the first government agency in Malaysia to require the use of the MyDigital ID to access a service.

But on Wednesday, Transport Minister Anthony Lake announced that no changes will be made to login requirements for MyJPJ, Bernama reports. The back-end integration of Malaysia’s digital ID with the app will continue, however.

Previously, the country’s Health Ministry included the digital ID as a way to access the MySejahtera app, but did not make it compulsory.

All mobile apps from government departments will eventually use the national digital ID for logins, an official with MyDigital ID said in comments quoted by Twentytwo13.

MyDigital ID is developed by Mimos, with PJBumi as an onboarding partner.

Article Topics

digital government  |  digital ID  |  government services  |  Malaysia  |  MyDigital ID  |  national ID  |  single sign-on