KOTA SAMARAHAN: The people should not wait until the last minute to register with the Central Database Hub (Padu) as this can cause system congestion, said Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
He said records showed that more senior citizens had signed up with Padu compared to the technology-savvy younger generation.
"This trend could be because for senior citizens in the rural areas who are not technology literate, we help them to register with Padu in person and this programme has been well received.
"However, for Malaysians who can register on their own, they know the deadline is March 31. So, I hope those who can register online by themselves will do it now because the system is like a highway and it will be congested if everyone logs in at the last minute," he told reporters after visiting the Padu booth at the Rural Entrepreneurs Mini Carnival here today.
Mohd Uzir believed that Sarawak would be among the earliest states to complete the Padu update and registration due to the high level of awareness among the people and the state government's commitment to making the initiative a success.
"At the moment, Sarawak has the second highest number of registrations at 310,000 people. With the cooperation among state government agencies and elected representatives, I expect the initiative to update the people's socio-economic profile in Sarawak can be settled by March 30 at the latest," he said.
As of yesterday, the personal information of 2.38 million out of the 30.08 million individuals in Padu has been updated.
The Padu registration is open from Jan 2 until March 31 and users are required to update and confirm 30 types of personal particulars, including identity card numbers, household size and residential address.
The system was developed using the internal expertise of the Economy Ministry, Department of Statistics Malaysia and Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit, with the cooperation and support of various ministries, agencies and state governments.– BERNAMA