Banks rigid on expired IDs

I write to seek proper interpretation of the recent presidential pronouncement on the removal of an expiry date from the national identity cards Malawi introduced from May 2017.

This was one of the most exciting news out of the several declarations by President Lazarus Chakwera on February 17 during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the opening of the ongoing budget session of the National Assembly.

The scraping of the expiry date from the national ID made most Malawians dance in praise of the Chakwera administration.

Finally, Malawians do not have to worry about the long wait and costs of replacing the vital card as it will have an eternal validity.

If not mistaken, I heard the President say: “From now on, the expiry date on national identity cards will be removed as many people face problems as they try to renew the expired IDs.

“Many cannot afford to pay and the National Registration Bureau is overwhelmed with a backlog of unprinted IDs from 2021.”

Swayed by Chakwera’s policy direction, many people whose IDs expired, including me, went to banks hoping to get services that we could not access with expired cards.

To our dismay, bank tellers throw the cards back to us, insisting that we need to renew them to get any financial service.

Surprisingly, the Registrar of Companies, Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and other public offices accept the same expired cards for issuance of business permits and taxpayer identification numbers.

From March 2022, new registrations and most services at Registrar of Companies and MRA are done online. With the computer-based system, you log onto their portals and one guided through the processes.

These systems are interconnected. Validations with the National Registration Bureau and reveal whether the applicant is a registered citizen or not.

However, I was puzzled when my bank rejected the same national identity card, valid passport and employment identity card I used to open my personal account.

I had to plead with a bank official who allowed me to withdraw some cash after examining my business certificates.

Ironically, these documents are already in the bank’s database.

I left the bank pretending to be happy, but I had some questions.

Does the presidential decree only apply to new registrations or even on the existing ones?

What will happen to the current valid cards when they expire? Do they have to be renewed or not?

The former will backslide.

As it stands now, it only makes sense when one voluntary goes to replace the ID due to loss or damage, including defaced photo.

When one’s passport expires, the banks refuse to transact on one’s request. Are banks border posts or immigration agents?  

Does the expiry of a national ID, passport or drivers license render the user expired? 

One only needs a passport when travelling beyond the borders, so why should I be forced to renew a passport when I know I will not travel any time soon?

Presidential decrees should be taken seriously because they set the tone for national policy. Like the 10 commandments, they should be obeyed without contempt or twisting facts to suit your own desires.

When Chakwera makes such directives, I believe that it is after a thorough thought process.

As service providers comfortably sit in air-conditioned banking halls, Malawians are facing numerous socio-economic hardships. They need to cut the red tape.

Think of the poor villagers, who travel long distances to access financial services.

Overzealous interpretation and miscarriage of national policies is uncalled for.

I urge authorities to offer clear guidance on the use of national IDs to save Malawians from further suffering in banks and public offices.

If something more needs to be done to walk Chakwera’s talk, relevant authorities should act now or get sanctioned for doing business as usual.