‘Complicated’ Padu registration: Stats dept, elected reps allay concerns, prepare to help

VULNERABLE citizens are being assured that they need not fret at the seemingly complicated registration for the Central Database Hub (Padu) as elected representatives are supporting the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) to help folks in need of guidance.

DOSM is also working closely with other elements in the state government to reach out to the masses with the aim of registering the majority of the population, including segments classified as being among the elderly, disabled and impoverished.

The department, as well as state assemblymen and MP, are prepared to clarify any queries the people may have, especially on the system’s data security and aid disbursement.

Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng said he has held two separate Padu registration initiatives in the last two weeks. One was in the working-class enclave of Kg Melayu and the other at the Little Sisters of Poor Home for the Infirm in Penang.

He acknowledged that the process can be difficult for the vulnerable because they would need technology-based tools like e-mails and social media accounts many among the elderly are not adept with.

Ng has liaised with DOSM to provide mobile registration counters for senior citizens to sign up.

Little Sisters supervisor, Mother Superior Moira Wong Mei Wan, thanked the authorities for helping. She stressed that the senior citizens need help all the time to deal with the online world, as many do not own smart devices, including phones, laptops and desktops.

"And even if they do have, they do not know how to access the apps provided. What more about memorising their passwords which are supposed to be encrypted," she said.

Ng echoed Wong's assertions, noting that in about 30% to 40% of the constituents in Air Itam are elderly. With Penang fast approaching aging-society status by 2030, it is important to offer many resources to aid the seniors.

Low registration rate

Meanwhile, Penang DOSM is intensifying efforts to encourage residents in the state to register with Padu as it is imperative for effective distribution of subsidies.

Its director Khairolnizam Hassan said this is because the number of registrations recorded so far is low in Penang although it has been almost a month since the system was launched.

He estimated that only four percent of the 1.2 million population base in the state have registered.

The dismal rate is attributed to concerns about Padu’s security levels and questions over why sensitive information from bank accounts to asset ownership is required..

Earlier this week, there were only 60,388 new registrations under Padu in Penang, representing 4.9 percent of 1.2 million residents, aged 18 and above.

“There are 1.7 million residents in Penang, and we need 1.2 million of them, aged 18 and above and are citizens, to register,” said Khairolnizam.  

Penang DOSM has undertaken several efforts to make it easier for people who have problems to register. They can do so at the physical counters in the Digital Economy Centres (PEDi) throughout the state, as well as the Urban Transformation Centres (UTC), district offices and DOSM office grounds."

DOSM has also started approaching the community by going to residential areas with high population densities to encourage them to register. These include community housing estates, flats and apartments.

It will also be setting up counters at shopping locations and public recreational areas.

Padu, which was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier this month, is open to the public to register until March 31.

It was set up with the aim of securing accurate data so the analytics derived can allow the government to execute effective targeted subsidies in the country. – The Vibes, January 19, 2024