GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has urged the government to extend the March 31 deadline for the Central Database Hub (Padu) registration.
At the same time, Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong called on the government to explain to the people about the system through various channels.
Oh said the Sarawak government had shown it lacked confidence in Padu by issuing a directive to stop registration in the state.
"They feel that registering with Padu is like 'undressing', when one reveals personal details such as bank accounts and investments.
"The people's poor response, coupled with the Sarawak government's action, are reasons enough for the government to consider extending the Padu registration deadline until the people feel more confident," he said today.
It was reported that over 7.36 million Malaysians, accounting for 35 per cent of the population nationwide, had enlisted in Padu.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the enrolment figure suggested that records of over 10 million citizens, spanning household heads and their dependents, had been integrated into the database.
Uzir said the Statistics Department anticipated a significant increase in registrations in the next few days, as the rate of daily sign-ups had recently escalated.
The government had said it had no plans to extend the March 31 deadline for Padu registration.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said extending the deadline would delay the government's implementation of subsidy restructuring and targeted subsidies.
Oh said Rafizi should listen to the people and not insist on the March 31 deadline.
"This is because a lot of information needs to be filled by the people and the process is quite complicated, especially for those who are not highly educated."
