Since the card was officially launched in April, about 500,000 smartcards, now renamed MyKad, have been given to Klang Valley residents.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, at a ceremony last night to announce the new name, said that by year end, the government would have issued one million MyKads.
As of July 31, the government had stopped issuing paper identity cards to Malaysians applying for new identity cards, replacing them with the MyKads.
MyKad is a credit card-sized device which functions as an identity card, driving license and medical card. It will soon have e-payment capabilities.
Malaysia is believed to be one of the earliest countries to embark on an ambitious program to initiate the wide use of a single smartcard for its 22 million people.
The GMPC is optional, except for those who have lost or damaged their identity cards, changed their addresses or applying for their identity cards for the first time upon reaching 12 years of age.
It was reported in April that the GMPC with four applications costs RM20 each, while one with a single application (IC) would cost RM10.
Abdullah was reported to have said that the government subsidized RM13 for each GMPC card as the production cost is RM33 each.
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