KUALA LUMPUR – There will be further discussions with the Sarawak administration over its concerns regarding Putrajaya’s Central Database Hub (Padu), said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg had held a “brief conversation” on the issue during the latter’s recent visit to Kuala Lumpur.
“I and a number of other ministers brought up (the matter of Sarawak’s concerns with Padu),” Fahmi told a press conference after attending today’s cabinet meeting.
“Since (Abang Johari) was in Kuala Lumpur, he and the prime minister had a meeting (with) a brief conversation particularly on this topic.
“It was decided that there will be follow-up discussions to understand and to perhaps make some further initiatives (on) what is to be done next,” the minister added without going into specifics.
He said, however, that Padu remained open for registration to all citizens who wished to update their information before the cut-off date of March 31.
“The number of citizens who have registered with Padu, including Sarawakians, is at quite a good figure.”
Earlier today, Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah expressed his stance against Padu and called for the system to be “modified”.
He also said the state cabinet had instructed Sarawak Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali to seek clarification and review the matter.
Karim put forward his concerns on how data collected by those inputting their information in the system could potentially be misused for “political reasons” the next time an election was held.
Previously, a memo purportedly from the Sri Aman Resident called for Padu registration to be halted with immediate effect in the division until further notice, according to a copy of the document circulated online.
The memo supposedly for district officers called for community leaders, village chiefs and village security and development committees to be informed of the halting of registration for the time being.
On Wednesday, federal Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib cautioned that individuals who did not register with Padu risked losing out on government aid and subsidies.
However, she said the government could utilise alternative methods such as integrating administrative data from various public sector agencies to channel aid to such individuals. – March 22, 2024