Ministry to meet Sarawak government over Padu suspension
Published on: Sunday, March 24, 2024
By: Bernama
Rafizi said the directive to suspend Padu registration was for the Sarawak Government to obtain clarification from the Ministry of Economy.
SHAH ALAM: The Ministry of Economy will hold a meeting with the Sarawak Government next week to discuss the registration for the Central Database Hub (Padu).
Minister Rafizi Ramli said this was following the directive by the State Government to suspend the process of registering and updating the Padu.
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“So far, I understand that the directive to halt the registration applies only to state government officers and personnel.
“We have contacted the Sarawak Government, and next week, the Ministry of Economy will sit down to discuss this matter with them,” he told a press conference after attending the Padu townhall session, here, Saturday.
Rafizi said the directive to suspend Padu registration was for the Sarawak Government to obtain clarification from the Ministry of Economy.
In terms of registration, Rafizi added that Sarawakians could continue to do so on the PADU portal, and as of last week, Sarawak was among the states with the highest registration rate.
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On the statement made by Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah regarding Padu registration being akin to “exposing” people’s personal information, Rafizi said it was merely a personal opinion.
He said the Government had no plan to extend the March 31 deadline set for Padu registration.
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“As at 11.59pm yesterday (March 22), a total of 7.07 million people had registered and updated their information in the Padu system,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rafizi dismissed rumours that the petrol subsidy would be withdrawn before Aidilfitri.
“Not true. It is impossible to make any decision regarding petrol and diesel subsidies too close to the March 31 deadline for Padu.
“When we look at the timeline, we need the first four to five months of this year to resolve the support system (Padu) issues first,” he said.
Rafizi said the Government will have to bear at least RM2 billion a month for blanket petrol subsidies if it continues to delay the implementation of targeted subsidies.
He said as announced in the last Budget, the Government needed to adhere to the scheduled restructuring of bulk subsidies to targeted subsidies this year.
Therefore, he said the Government did not intend to extend the March 31 deadline for registration and updating of information on the Central Database Hub (Padu).
“It would be better if this RM2 billion (per month) was channelled in the form of assistance to (deserving) families,” he said.
Rafizi said the Government was also considering a proposal to implement the distribution of aid to the people via direct monthly cash transfers.
He said the reform of social aid distribution to the people, which had never been offered before, could be implemented through Padu and that the method was also expected to provide additional income to aid recipients.
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