It’s a brand new year and this is our first Let’s Talk About episode for 2024. The biggest announcement at the start of 2024 is PADU, Malaysia’s Central Database Hub. Shortly after the launch, there were concerns about security and data protection. While Malaysians are told to check and update their data, the process appears to be a data entry exercise.
In this episode of Let’s Talk About, Amin and Alex discuss what PADU is all about, why is it necessary and the ongoing issues and concerns about the government’s new digital platform.
What is PADU?
In a nutshell, PADU aims to be the main central database which integrates all information of Malaysians from various government departments and agencies under one roof. The government aims to use this information to get a clearer and accurate view of the national household income. This would enable the government to effectively create policies and implement targeted subsidies, especially for RON95 petrol.
To register a new PADU account, you’ll need at least a smartphone with an active mobile number, and complete an electric Know Your Customer (e-KYC) process which requires you to take a selfie and a picture of your MyKad (IC).
How is PADU’s progress so far?
The government aims to have all Malaysians registered on PADU by 31st March 2024 before it implements targeted fuel subsidies. On 22nd January 2024, PADU reported a total of 1,518,746 registrations.
However, on 23rd January 2024, PADU later claimed to have over 30 million registrations, which were achieved through the integration of data sources from various agencies. Malaysia’s Chief Statistician Dato’ Sri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin said data sources that were previously not integrated are finally included on PADU. He also revealed that the 30 million figure included children below 18 years old and approximately 22 million are individuals who are aged 18 years old and above.
Meanwhile, the daily registration figure reported by PADU was eventually renamed to individuals who have successfully updated their information on PADU system. As of 28th January 2024, PADU reported 1.98 million individuals have successfully updated their information on PADU.
However, there are questions about these new terminologies as the total registered individuals on PADU don’t count as individuals who have registered an account on PADU’s system and completed their eKYC. Similarly, the number of individuals counted as successfully “updated” their information on PADU may not have necessarily filled up all the online forms and submitted their data on PADU.
