PUTRAJAYA, December 31 – Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli reassured the public that ownership of data used by the Central Database System (Padu) for targeted subsidies will not change. All data used by Padu is still governed by existing Acts of the respective government departments or agencies, Rafizi clarified. Despite previous data leakages involving government agencies, Rafizi stated that data sharing agreements between agencies facilitate information sharing for Padu’s establishment.
An Omnibus Act, expected in the second or third quarter of 2024, will connect separate Acts to regulate data handling. While agencies contribute to Padu’s database, not all can retrieve from it. Rafizi addressed concerns about the database system’s cost, stating that no additional allocation was required, and the system’s setup was “free of charge” for government servants. The hardware cost is approximately RM2 million, funded from available sources in the 2023 and 2024 budgets. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will launch Padu on January 2, and Malaysians have until March 31 to update information for targeted subsidies.
