LETTER | Whether the Central Database Hub (Padu) was the result of extensive discussions and consultations is anybody’s guess.

The cabinet might have been convinced of the need for such a database and hence its implementation.

Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, who is gung-ho about Padu, has yet to explain its need other than then to disburse aid to the needy in the B40 category.

If this is so, why is there a need for the entire population to register with the cumbersome system?

As it is, it is not that the government doesn’t have statistics on the country’s population. Various government departments have databases in their systems.

Transparency and objectivity are not virtues of the present Madani government. Another centralised layer of database merely contributes to the ongoing bureaucratisation of the government.

Creating Padu to assist the needy and the poor is something laudable unless of course there is virtually no database in the country.

What is not acceptable is the way Padu is pushed down the throats of Malaysians. The threat that needy or qualified Malaysians might not be able to access subsidies seems to have led many to register.

This covert or subtle threat makes the implementation of Padu objectionable.

Another PR exercise?

It cannot be dismissed that Padu might be another public relations exercise by the government to enhance its political support.

As some have pointed out, Padu is not likely to help the government improve its standing in the eyes of the public, especially among ordinary Malays.

If the government had managed the economy well, the question of subsidies and welfare assistance might not loom as significant as they appear now.

As they say, the government cannot pinch the baby and rock the baby to sleep at the same time.

At a more ominous level, the government might have good intentions in creating Padu, but good intentions alone are not sufficient to prevent the leakage of data.

Can the government assure the public that the data will not be leaked? I don’t think that any government can give this kind of assurance, but the danger of leakage lurks.

It is hoped that Padu serves the needy and does not become the Panopticon of government surveillance and intimidation.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.