Recently, Bang Jun Hiong, the Chairman of the Malaysian Association of America (MAA), along with Co-Chairman Liao Rui Long, announced plans to organize a second event for document renewal following the success of their recent initiative. From October 7 to 21, the MAA hosted its first overseas Malaysian citizen identity card renewal and birth certificate reissuance event at the Malaysian Consulate General in New York, which saw an overwhelming response. Nearly 3,000 Malaysians living in the United States signed up for the event, with 99% being of Chinese descent, highlighting the strong interest and support from the community.

In an interview, Bang Jun Hiong shared that after more than a decade of efforts, the MAA successfully persuaded the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs to send officials to the U.S. from the National Registration Department. From October 7, five officials arrived in New York specifically to help Malaysian expatriates acquire new-generation chip identity cards, addressing a long-standing need for those who faced difficulties returning to Malaysia for updates and reissuing documents.

The appointments for this event filled up within just three days, with around 120 to 150 citizens attending daily. Since the application forms needed to be filled out in Malay, the MAA mobilized a team of volunteers on-site to assist participants, ensuring the process ran smoothly.

Given the high demand for these services, many expatriates were still unable to attend due to time and transportation issues. In response, the MAA is actively negotiating with the National Registration Department to arrange another round of documentation renewal to accommodate more Malaysian expatriates in the U.S. For those who could not participate, the association encourages them to register by calling (341) 629-9687 to receive the latest updates.

This initiative will conclude on October 21 (Monday), after which the officials will continue their services for Malaysian citizens in the U.K.