Occupants of a property

Read this letter.

It seems that a person who did not update his address can still borrow money using a NRIC showing the old address. The new occupant at that address faces the harrassment by the loan shark. It seems that nothing can be done about this matter by the authority (i.e. NRIC office).

I suggest that the name of the occupant of an address should be available for checking by the public (and it is already public as shown in the telephone directory), unless the occupant wish it to be kept private. This will allow, for example, a party to a transaction (e.g. loan) to search that a correct address has been given. It will also allow the legal occupant to identify people who are using the address without authority, and for the name to be removed from that address.

I wonder if the NRIC office is still keeping to the old mindset that the address is "confidential". This mindset is causing difficulty to the new occupant at the address.

Tan Kin Lian