Padu: Survey finds concerns on misuse of personal details, access by rural communities

KUCHING (Jan 5): The government needs to clarify what personal details are required of eligible individuals to register for the newly-launched Central Database Hub (Padu).

This was one of the concerns raised by the community during a survey conducted by The Borneo Post‘s sister paper Utusan Borneo yesterday.

The respondents acknowledged that Padu may be a good initiative introduced by the government to help plug leakages in the distribution of government aid and subsidies so as to eradicate poverty.

Despite so, they felt insecure about disclosing their personal details for fear that such move would lead to cyber crimes such as information theft.

They also brought up the issue that some remote and rural areas have no access to telecommunication services such as the Internet.

As such, they suggested that the government conduct some awareness programmes on Padu prior to its implementation.

For Knonilious Kulleh, 36, there is no doubt that Padu is a very good initiative from the government.

He opined that the move was to connect data in an integrated system by gathering all information from government departments and agencies.

“However, the main concern is the exposure of personal information to cyber crimes such as information theft and information falsification by individuals or groups.

“To add to that, there is also this Internet accessibility issue,” said the civil servant.

He hoped that such matters will be addressed if the government is determined to implement Padu registration for all citizens throughout the country.

“To overcome it, the government needs to improve Internet coverage so that rural residents can have access to telecommunication services.

“Alternatively, the government can provide mobile satellite beams to those in remote areas to have access to the Internet,” he suggested.

Another concerned citizen, Ronald O’Neil, 39, said he learned that Padu is a centralised database containing individual and household profiles of the citizens in the country.

Ronald, who is employed by the private sector, wondered if the Padu system would be easily hacked or damaged.

“There is also concern that the elderly, especially those who are not IT (information technology) literate, do not understand the importance of Padu.

“Similarly, if there is a lack of awareness of Padu, those in the rural areas will have no knowledge about it or may not care about it,” he pointed out.

In this regard, he appealed to the government or related agencies to hold awareness programmes in rural areas or longhouses across the state.

He also proposed that mobile counters be set up in rural areas or areas that do not have Internet coverage.

Another concerned individual, Gabriel Spencer Sang, said he was aware of the Padu initiative and equally concerned that their personal information could be misused.

“I am more concerned that personal information will be misused by irresponsible parties for wrong purposes. The government should guarantee that the data is safe,” he said.

Gabriel observed that the implementation of Padu may face another issue, which is IT illiteracy among many elderly people in the rural areas.

“Because of this, it is hoped that the government can establish a special counter in each district through the district office.

“Appoint special officers or part-time staff to help residents in all rural areas to register for Padu, this will be of great help especially to those who are not IT literate,” he said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim launched Padu on Jan 2 to help plug leakages in the distribution of government aid and subsidies.

He said this was crucial to make sure that any financial assistance provided by the government would reach the target groups.

Managed by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, Padu serves as the provision of a secure and comprehensive national primary database that enables more accurate data to be produced as well as policy formulation and data-driven decision-making processes.

It also enables targeted policy implementation to balance the country’s fiscal position.