Old Identity Card

Mum was rummaging through some old stuff and found this:


Holy Mollies! This is a copy of my first IC when I was 12 years old! It is about 11cm x 7cm, with my thumbprint on both sides of my photo (Side story: I still remember Karen being very sad for not having a right thumbprint as she had the habit of sucking her thumb until this IC made her stop), with the words “NEGERI2 TANAH MELAYU, MALAYSIA” at the bottom. Whoa! I am not THAT old to have lived before Malaysia was born yet they still used the word Tanah Melayu.

With its weird size, I wonder how people carried this important document with them at all times. The piece of document/paper is laminated with a very simple machine. Often, the lamination would split and the document inside would get soaked. I think I kept mine pretty well and it was still intact by the time I had to surrender it for the newer card version.

Also, check out the back of it, my details were handwritten!
I’m sure one of the criteria of working in this government department was to have a clear, legible handwriting. But imagine the job of writing these details on a daily basis. It would be especially challenging if, say, a whole family came with the father’s name Syed Abdullah Nooraziz Mahathir with an equally long first name who’s address is six lines long! I’d feign cramped fingers after the first person.