Poor handling of Padu will cost votes, say analysts

 

Economy minister Rafizi Ramli at a press conference on Padu, the government’s central database hub, on Thursday.

PETALING JAYA: Poor communication involving the government’s central database hub, or Padu, will cost the government votes at the polls, say analysts.

Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia and Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the government’s poor communication in managing the issues raised since Padu’s introduction may provide the opposition with ammunition to attack the government.

Azmil said economy minister Rafizi Ramli in particular seemed dismissive of the issues raised by Padu users, including former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming of DAP.

“He appeared to pay little attention to the issues raised by his coalition partners, creating the impression (that he believes) the programme is already perfect and cannot be criticised.

“These issues, such as the data privacy issue, can be used by the opposition to attack the government,” he told FMT.

Azmil suggested that the government engage with the grassroots more and explain Padu to the public and stakeholders through roadshows and town halls.

Azmi, on the other hand, said Rafizi did not offer any solutions to the issues raised, such as people without smartphones being unable to update their details and the possibility of Padu accounts being registered by others without the knowledge of the actual individuals.

“These (issues) shouldn’t have happened, but they have, and can be used as a political weapon by the opposition,” he said.

On Tuesday, Anwar launched Padu to serve as a central database for the roll-out of targeted subsidies, one of the government’s priorities for 2024.

Since its introduction, politicians and various groups have raised various issues involving Padu. Ong, a former deputy trade minister, suggested that the government suspend the registration of Padu users until its security concerns are resolved.

Rights group Lawyers for Liberty also called for Padu registrations to be put on hold, citing concerns about potential abuse and data security since the government was exempted from liability under the Personal Data Protection Act.

In response, Rafizi said government agencies are covered by their own regulations on data, not the PDPA.

Another analyst, Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya, said Rafizi should be given time and space to manage the issues raised, as Padu is still new.

He said Rafizi’s responses had been based on facts, and could put to rest all of the public’s worries on the matter.

“I believe that the issues with Padu don’t need to be politicised. We need to give Rafizi space to observe and assess his ability to manage the issues,” said Awang Azman. - FMT