PETALING JAYA: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living announced via its X page that the country’s central database (Padu) will be open for user registration from Jan 2 next year.
All Malaysians aged 18 and above are encouraged to visit the Padu portal to access their profile and update or verify their personal information. A total of 39 different pieces of personal information will be included in a Padu profile.
For those who lack the devices required for such an online registration, there is the option for manual in-person registration at locations such as Digital Economy Centres (PEDi), local district offices, and government agency offices.
According to the ministry, registration will not be mandatory, however, it encourages citizens to do so to ensure that those Malaysians who are eligible for assistance such as targeted subsidies are not overlooked.
Once the system is launched, it will act as a national database of socio-economic information for every household in the country, providing regular analytics with a comprehensive store of data updated in “near real time”.
The development of Padu is intended to allow for data-driven policymaking and decision-making, while enabling targeted policy implementation.
The system has been in development since June this year, and will see integration with MyDigital ID, the country's national digital identification system at a later date.
Shifting to a targeted system is expected to lower petroleum and diesel subsidy expenditure by 17.5% next year, according to Economy Minister Mohd Rafizi Ramli.
