IC only means of identification?

SINGAPORE - On March11, I visited the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building to collect my new biometric passport.

But I was told that I could not do so as I did not have my identity card with me.

What is perplexing is that I had with me my old (and still valid) biometric passport and my driving licence. And if these were not enough to prove my identity, my thumb print would have sufficed.

I travel frequently, and often at a moment's notice, for work. Instead of carrying my IC, it has become a habit to have my passport with me at all times, as it serves as a form of identification the world over.

Why does the ICA stick to a standard procedure that does not seem logical and causes unnecessary inconvenience?

Why is the IC accepted as the only means of identifying a person?

Selwyn Gerard Galistan

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