PENDANG: Over 7.36 million Malaysians, accounting for 35 per cent of the population nationwide, have enlisted in the Central Database Hub (Padu), with a mere eight days remaining until the March 31 cut-off.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said that the enrollment figures suggest that the records of over 10 million citizens, spanning household heads and their dependents, have been integrated into the database.
Uzir said that the Department of Statistics Malaysia (Dosm) anticipates a significant increase in registrations in the next few days, as the rate of daily sign-ups has recently escalated.
"So far, we have updated a total of over 7.36 million, hitting over 35 per cent of those aged 18 and above and we estimate there are around 20 million Malaysians in that age group.
"Out of the figure, many are breadwinners, indicating that the data includes dependents under 18 as well. Therefore, the actual number exceeds 10 million if we account for all the dependents," he told the press after a visit to a Padu rural area registration drive at Kampung Tok Set here today.
Uzir said that Dosm had anticipated the last-minute rush to register, as it aligns with society's tendency to procrastinate.
"We've anticipated and are prepared for this large influx. For instance, yesterday, we recorded over 300,000 registrations in a single day and we expect this to rise," he added.
In response, he said Dosm will intensify its efforts in the remaining eight days to maximise registrations rates, preparing to accommodate up to 800,000 registrations daily.
"We are expanding the availability of physical counters and enhancing our outreach through various media platforms to stress on the importance of Padu," he added.
Regarding Padu registration in Kedah, Uzir said that the statistics are promising, with 33 per cent or approximately 533,000 Kedahans enrolled in Padu.
"In Kedah, around 41.8 per cent of the youth have registered, while we see about 207,000 seniors over 60 also participating. These figures are encouraging," he added.
Meanwhile, Uzir addressed misinformation regarding Padu and data security, assuring that concerns over personal data leakage and vulnerability to scams are unfounded.
"Some believe that registering with Padu could lead to financial losses. However, if mere possession of a bank account number were to lead to theft, then anyone soliciting donations or displaying their bank details in public spaces like mosques would be at risk, which is not the case," he added.
Yesterday, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said that the government has no plans to extend the March 31 deadline for Padu registration, citing implications for subsidy restructuring and targeted subsidies implementation.
He cautioned that failing to register or update information in Padu may result in missing out on government assistance and subsidies.
Padu was launched on Jan 2, and the public is given until March 31 to register and update their details in the system.
The implementation of Padu aims to enhance governance and improve policy planning and implementation based on data.
It is not only focused on retargeting subsidies and aid but also aimed at comprehensively identifying the socioeconomic status of the people.