Insulted During MyKad Renewal: ‘Can’t Understand Malay?’ – JPN Apologizes To Malaysian Chinese Woman
The incident, which left the woman in tears after being publicly berated despite communicating in Malay, quickly gained traction on social media through her son’s post on X.
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A man complained that counter staff treated his mother rudely while renewing her identity card at the National Registration Department (JPN) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, even being mocked with “Don’t you understand Malay?”
The incident went viral on social media, prompting JPN to apologize for their staff’s inappropriate behaviour.
The man posted on his X account @guttapercha80 that his mother visited JPN on Tuesday at 2 PM to renew her identity card but was treated disrespectfully by an official.
Despite communicating entirely in Malay and only asking about the collection time for her new MyKad, she was berated by the staff member.
Hostile Encounter Leaves Mother in Tears
According to the post, the counter staff erupted angrily, shouting at his mother to “go back and wait” and yelling, “Don’t you understand Malay?”
The man noted that his mother was publicly humiliated and returned home in tears, which angered him, stating he wouldn’t let the matter rest easily.
He criticized: “You assumed we don’t understand Malay just because we’re Chinese.”
The post sparked public outrage, with the public condemning the service attitude of some JPN staff and calling for authorities to take the matter seriously.
JPN Reaffirms Public Service Commitment
However, the man later updated his post, saying he received an apologetic call from JPN officials within an hour of his complaint.
He noted that their professional and prompt response provided some consolation.
JPN stated they had received the complaint and coordinated an investigation into the situation, promising to provide official feedback and remedial measures soon.
JPN also posted customer service guidelines on social media, emphasizing their commitment to providing friendly, courteous, and professional service to all customers, ensuring the best service experience for the public.
Tuan bagi pihak JPN terlebih dahulu kami memohon maaf atas perkara tersebut. Emel tuan juga telah kami terima sebentar tadi. Siasatan dan penjelasan dari pejabat berkenaan sedang diselaraskan dan maklum balas rasmi tindakan kami akan di kemukakan dalam masa terdekat.
— Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara 🇲🇾 (@jpnhqofficial) February 5, 2025
Possible Systemic Issue Rather Than A One-off Incident
A deeper dive into social media revealed a troubling pattern at this JPN branch in Petaling Jaya, where Google Reviews painted a picture of persistent customer service issues.
While the branch maintains an overall four-star rating on Google Reviews, a concerning pattern emerged in its one-star reviews.
These negative testimonials invariably detailed encounters with a particularly hostile staff member, with multiple accounts describing verbal aggression, especially toward non-Malay customers.
The specificity of these descriptions, spanning months of complaints, suggested these weren’t isolated incidents but rather pointed to a recurring problem with a single staff member.
I once encountered staff gomen yang rude, tapi dia salah orang la nak buat gitu sebab abang i terus marah dia balik hahaha. Surprisingly after baca google review memang ramai je kena benda sama dgn staff tu. pic.twitter.com/NlvJrcq5dA
— zira (@naziraazamann) February 5, 2025
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