KUANTAN: Malaysians have been cautioned not to fall victim to irresponsible quarters potentially taking advantage of the ongoing nationwide Central Database Hub (Padu) registration process.
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said unlike the previous population census, there will be no door-to-door visits by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) and no payment is required to fill the required information in Padu.
He said DoSM has been only conducting targeted visits for Padu registration at Orang Asli settlements, elderly day care centres and nursing homes across the country.
"The respective community leaders will be informed ahead of our visit for Padu registration and will be part of the team during the visit. There will be no random door-to-door visits by officers. If someone shows up claiming for Padu registration, then the individual is a scammer.
"For those who are unsure or feel suspicious towards certain quarters claiming to help with Padu registration, they can contact our hotline for further verification. Please do not be duped by claims that registering with Padu will result in all our details leaked to others or some might end up losing their money.
"Padu emphasises on safety and data protection at the highest level and all the input (provided by users) will serve as the government's central database system. Malaysians must look ahead as various programmes planned in the future will be centered around the latest data gathered in Padu," he said today.
Uzir met reporters after visiting the Padu counters at the Pahang Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) here today.
He said Padu registration has displayed a steady increase since its launch on Jan 2, and as of yesterday, 2.82 million individuals have updated their profile nationwide.
"Public acceptance towards Padu is on the rise and DoSM is engaging various agencies to assist us display our visibility to make it easier for the public to register. We are in talks with agencies from the Youth and Sports Ministry, Orang Asli Development Department and several others to cover as much ground as possible.
"Our 'flying squad' is deployed to several targeted areas including Orang Asli settlements and traditional villages to ensure no one is being sidelined. Physical counters are set up at hotspots including night markets and shopping complexes, and we work closely with the member of parliament and assemblymen office to ensure a smooth registration process," he said.
Uzir reminded the public not to take things for granted and wait until the March 31 deadline to register as there might be setbacks resulting from the last minute rush.
"Last-minute sign-ups might cause congestion and they might not be able to contact our hotlines for asssistance. Currently, our hotline receives some 3,000 calls a day from individuals enquiring about the process as they update their profiles," he said.
Uzir said 148,422 individuals in Pahang from a total of 1,094,092 people aged 18 and above have registered for Padu.
Padu registration is open to the public till March 31 and users can update, and verify 30 personal details including MyKad number, household number and residential address.