“Now is the best time to integrate the Jawi script into our national identity, both on the physical MyKad and in the MyDigital ID,” Mumtaz Nawi (PN-Tumpat) said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Mumtaz said the Jawi script, or the original Malay script, was a legacy worth keeping and served more than sentimental value.

She said Jawi carried the “real meaning” of a person’s name and should be recognised in official documents, adding that its use would improve Malaysia’s standing among Arab nations, whose official scripts were similar.

“Malaysia will be better respected with this move,” she said during the debate on the National Registration (Amendment) Bill 2025.

The former Kelantan executive councillor also said the Jawi script often varied across documents such as marriage certificates, religious school certificates, and even handwritten forms.

“If there was a single official record from the government, we would achieve uniformity,” she said.

She pointed out that even Singapore allowed citizens to have their names spelled out in Jawi on their identification cards.

Deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah did not respond to Mumtaz’s suggestion in winding-up the debate on the bill.