New Malaysian passport design to reflect more of Malaysia's multiculturalism?

There have been rumours within MOHA regarding the new passport design which is set to be realeased within the next few months, and naturally some of us journalists are privy to this information. Some things are guaranteed, some are not. Here is what we know for sure: The new passport will be in line with international standards, so a 10-year validity and the separation of first and last names.

What's interesting is their first draft of the cover page, which supposedly had "Malaysia" written in Malay, Chinese and Tamil, and "Pasport/Passport" (both Malay and the international translation) removed. The coat of arms, the colours (red and gold) and the biometric symbol remain.

But, like I said, that was their initial draft. Personally, I don't think there will be a major change in the cover page as the new design is mainly focused on the security features on the inside. Also, while having Chinese and Tamil shown on the front may seem nice considering the country's demographics, only Malay is the national and official language, so it wouldn't make sense. FYI, your passport isn't actually yours, legally it is the property of the government.