Sarawak’s concerns on Padu can be resolved amicably, PM Anwar says ahead of registration deadline
KOTA SAMARAHAN, March 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today that all the concerns raised by the state government regarding the implementation of the Central Database Hub (Padu) can be resolved amicably.
He said there was nothing more to discuss regarding the concerns after Putrajaya received the concerns raised by the Sarawak government.
"We can overcome the concerns. It is not a problem,” he told reporters before leaving for the federal capital after breaking fast at Masjid Al-Muttaqin here.
He said there is no need to extend the period of registration for Padu which ends tomorrow.
Anwar said the response from the people of Sarawak towards Padu is quite good.
On Thursday, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that Padu should not gather excessive information unrelated to the financial status of the people.
Pointing out that the database system lacked justification, Abang Johari said the people of Sarawak are eager to understand why Padu is requesting so much of their personal information when they are registering for the government system.
On March 26, Rafizi was reported to have said that the Economy Ministry would brief the Sarawak government on Padu after state Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali’s statement regarding the state’s concerns towards Padu on March 25.
According to him, no information leakage issues have been reported despite over two million attempts to hack the database each week.
Sharifah Hasidah had said while the Sarawak government supported the federal government’s Padu in principle because of its noble intention to ensure aid resources are channelled effectively to Malaysians, caution must also be given to Padu’s implementation.
She said clarifications from the Economy Ministry regarding security implementation and protocols are necessary for the Sarawak government to fully support the federal government’s initiative.
The Deputy Minister said concerns expressed by the Sarawak government and the people of Padu are justified as cases of data breaches, leaks, and scams are rampant these days.
