According to Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, there are a total of 4,752 areas in Malaysia where residents have not yet registered under the Central Database Hub (Padu) or received any government assistance.
Selangor has the highest number of areas with low registration in Padu at 1,282, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 992 areas, Sarawak with 765 areas, and Sabah with 620 areas.
Ramli stated that Padu’s implementation allows for updates to individual administrative records at the local level, with various types of areas identified such as public housing areas, low-cost housing areas, housing quarters, flats, condominiums, shop houses, water villages, longhouses, and individual houses.
He emphasized that research on Padu updates at the local level is crucial to ensuring all areas are covered and represented, without any omissions.
In addition, Johor, Penang, and Kelantan have more than 200 areas with low Padu registration, with 271, 243, and 228 areas respectively.
Kedah reported 157 areas with unregistered populations, while states with low registration included Pahang (70), Perak (67), Terengganu (35), Negri Sembilan (eight), Perlis (seven), Putrajaya (five), and Melaka (two).
Although residents in these areas belong to the B40 and B60 groups, Ramli noted that there is no data indicating that these individuals have received any government assistance from previous databases.
He expressed concern that residents in these localities could potentially be excluded from upcoming government programs or assistance if they remain unregistered.
With two weeks left until the March 31 deadline, Ramli announced that the Padu team would intensify its efforts to increase registrations among residents in the identified areas, particularly those at risk of exclusion.
He highlighted the importance of reaching out to the public, even during the fasting month, to ensure their participation in the program, emphasizing proactive outreach efforts.
To further promote Padu registration, a town hall session is scheduled for March 23 at the MBSA Convention Centre in Selangor, aimed at providing information on the benefits of the program and facilitating registrations from the identified areas.
The session will be attended by MPs, assemblymen, district officers, mayors, as well as representatives of local authorities and Joint Management Bodies (JMB).
Ramli also called on state governments with remaining unregistered spots to follow suit by engaging residents’ representatives from high-risk exclusion areas to encourage Padu registration.
As of March 17, a total of 5.43 million individuals have updated their data in Padu since its launch on January 2.
