Padu ensures govt services will be enjoyed by deserving recipients, says Anwar

Speaking at the launch of Padu, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that the system is aligned with the country’s digital transformation strategy. He emphasized that the implementation of Padu will ensure that government aid and subsidies are only received by deserving recipients, thereby preventing potential leakage.

“We are building a more sophisticated and competitive national system,” Anwar said, highlighting the importance of Padu in preventing leakage and misappropriation of funds, which ultimately contributes to the presence of poor groups in the country.

Padu is an integrated socio-economic database containing profiles of individuals and households, including citizens and permanent residents in Malaysia. It combines data from government departments and agencies to provide a fair representation of the socio-economic status of each household in the country.

Anwar further stressed that without a digital approach, subsidies may end up benefiting the super-rich and even foreigners. He also raised concerns about the sustainability of Malaysia’s finances if the issue of subsidies is not addressed, emphasizing that the government currently allocates RM80 billion for subsidies.

According to Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, Padu was fully developed by civil servants from the Ministry of Economy, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), and the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu) in collaboration with numerous other agencies.

Prime Minister Anwar called on Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali to monitor the implementation of the Padu system to ensure it achieves its intended goals. He highlighted the importance of Padu in the delivery of subsidies and in demonstrating the capability and participation of society as a whole, while also emphasizing the need to include the urban poor, as well as those in rural and remote areas, in the implementation of Padu.

Padu is officially open from today until March 31 for the public aged 18 and above to register and check data on the Padu portal as well as update and verify 39 required personal information. – Bernama