• Withdrawal No.1 saw the Home Ministry's top lucky draw prize of a MyVi car gone missing; and
• Withdrawal No.2 saw the Transport Ministry pulling out its cash incentives programme for capturing traffic offences on camera in conjunction with the Chinese New Year festive period.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad described the lucky draws offer as "a silly decision", saying it was irresponsible of Malaysians to want to be given something just to change their old identity card for MyKad.

The Home Ministry has also withdrawn the other 88 prizes offered for the lucky draws. The lucky draws offer was announced by the then Home Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid on Aug 25, 2005.

Radzi said it was irresponsible of Malaysians to want to be given something for what they must do for their own country.

Speaking to reporters after the ministry's monthly assembly at the Immigration Department here today, Radzi said the prizes, mainly sponsored by the corporate sector, would be sold and donated to orphanages.

"I am very dissapointed. Is it so difficult to do some good deeds for the country?" he said when told many Malaysians were still waiting for their prizes, especially the MyVi car.

Asked if cancelling the lucky draws now would be tantamount to cheating, he said: "Who was cheating anybody?"

When told the people were promised by the previous home minister, he said: "Come on ... that was the former minister. Now I am saying 'Do Malaysians want a MyVi just to change to MyKad? We have to pay? ... come on la, we don't live in that kind of a world. Get rid of this mentality. It's not even a Mercedes Benz or a Rolls Royce, but MyVi."

He said it would be embarrassing if the world knew that Malaysians would not do anything unless there was something to gain from it.

"That's rubbish. We have 20 million Malaysians qualifying for the draws. Are you going to give each and every one of them a MyVi?"

Instead, Radzi said Malaysians should be proud of the MyKad as it had many security features and was one of the best systems in the world. He added one day the MyKad would become a citizenship card for all Malaysians.

When told the decision to promote the lucky draws was a cabinet decision, Radzi did not answer.

Reached by phone, Azmi, who is overseas, refused to comment. Perodua when contacted said it did not sponsor the MyVi.

On Aug 25, 2005, in a move to get 12 million Malaysians to change their old identity cards, Azmi announced the Home Ministry's "Lets Change and Win" lucky draws offer, featuring prizes worth a total RM350,000.

The prizes include motorcycles, TV sets, holiday packages, computers, camcorders and handphones, sponsored by six consortium companies.

All MyKad holders and those who apply for the smart card before Nov 30, 2005, would qualify for the monthly draws with the winners picked randomly by the computer.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers' Associations president N. Marimuthu said the promise to give away the MyVi was initiated by the ministry and not a request by the public.

"Yes, it is the rakyat's responsibility to change their identity cards, but it is also the ministry's responsibility to keep its promise.

"The public did not ask the ministry to give them this kind of [incentive]," he said. "If you make this promise and later withdraw it - there's obviously something wrong."

On another matter, Radzi said the ministry had three main objectives this year, one of them being getting Rela to meet the target of detaining about 40,000 illegal immigrants, including overstayers. The ministry, he added, wanted to create fear among illegals and employers not to hire them.

Another objective was to amend the Foreign Workers Act to give the ministry power to administer, manage and control foreign workers. At present, Radzi said some of the duties including control of foreign workers overlap with certain ministries and agencies, especially the Human Resources Ministry.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said: "The 'Shoot, send and win' contest organised by the Road Safety Department is being cancelled after considering views from various quarters."

He said in a statement there was a possibility of abuse for profit by some quarters and admitted that there was much criticism from various groups.

The contest was supposed to run from last Friday (Feb 9) to March 10.

Chan had announced that a reward of RM150 for the best picture, RM100 for second best and RM50 for third best would be given each day during the period for helping bring traffic culprits to book.

The Malaysian Syariah Lawyers Association and the Bar Council had questioned the wisdom of having such a programme.

Among others, it encouraged motorists to use cameras on their handphones to take pictures of traffic offenders when the action in itself (using handphone without a hands-free kit while driving) was an offence, they said.