KL launches world's first 'smart-card' for citizens
KL launches world's first 'smart-card' for citizens
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia launched the world's first national "smart-card" for citizens Thursday as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad held talks with global hi-tech chiefs to accelerate development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC).
The smart-card wraps passport, identification, driver's license, medical and other personal details into one piece of plastic the size of an ordinary credit card.
There are plans to expand the use of the card, which contains features such as thumbprints and holograms to prevent forgery, to include security access to homes and offices, and to pay for public transportation and tolls.
Named "MyKad," it signals Malaysia's determination to embrace the information age five years after it launched the MSC, a hi- tech enclave modeled after California's Silicon Valley.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the "world's first multi-application" card was part of the MSC's initiatives to use cutting edge technology and expertise to make Malaysia a major IT producer.
The New Straits Times said another smart card -- the Payment Multipurpose Card -- would be launched in November with features including debit and credit card facilities.
The launch of "MyKad" coincided with annual talks Thursday between Mahathir and members of his MSC International Advisory Panel to woo investors and speed up the development of the zone amid the U.S. slowdown.
The MSC, which stretches about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south from Kuala Lumpur to the new international airport, is the brainchild of Mahathir who wants to turn Malaysia into a developed nation by 2020.
While physical infrastructure has been largely put in place, the MSC has been slow in attracting substantial investment from global technology companies.
Mahathir earlier this year admitted that the hub had not contributed to the economy as much as he expected. Critics complained of a lack of focus, excessive bureaucratic red-tape and a shortage of skilled labor.
There are 488 companies operating in the MSC, including 46 world-class firms with most of the rest local companies, the Multimedia Development Corp (MDC) said in a statement Thursday.
MSC-status firms enjoy a host of tax and other privileges.