Creating the Orwellian Madani state

PADU will become your passport to living in Malaysia

The PADU (Pangkalan Data Utama) digital identification system just received a grand launching in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The Central Database Hub will house digital IDs of Malaysians and permanent residents that will collate and centralise individual data of Malaysians, which can be accessed by all government ministries, and agencies. The initial reason given for the roll out of PADU is that it will be used to make targeted subsidy payments to entitled individuals, although this system is yet to be operationalised.

Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim stated at the launch that;

“PADU will allow for more data analytics as all government agencies will be aware of any change in the data of each citizen and household”

Malaysians have until March 31 to register with PADU. The enticement to register is subsidies will be paid through the PADU system, which means a linkage to the banking system. There is speculation the system will later be made compulsory.

There are many advocates in cyberspace who are promoting this Malaysian initiative such as Open Gov Asia espousing the benefits:

“According to the Chairman of the Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA), Digital ID has the potential to streamline processes, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and optimising the impact of government subsidies by facilitating the efficient distribution of assistance to targeted groups with greater accuracy and effectiveness.

Digital ID, in this context, serves as a digital means of self-identification and authentication for individuals, designed for use in both public and private sectors to verify user identities during online transactions. The nation’s Prime Minister has conveyed that while the government will not mandate registration for Digital ID presently, civil servants are encouraged to do so, especially as the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) and other targeted subsidies will be channelled through this system. MIMOS Berhad, Malaysia’s national Applied Research and Development Centre, has been appointed as the implementing agency for Digital ID, with an initial allocation of RM80 million”.

Media reports today claim people are rushing to register on the PADU system,  although comments on Twitter (X) may indicate otherwise.

The PADU system will bring to Malaysia the digital identity system the ‘Digital Identity Blueprint’ the World Economic Forum has been advocating.

In the first 24 hours citizens have gained first hand experience of the weaknesses in PADU security, in what will make a field-day for hackers in the future. The Ministry of Health is also digitizing Malaysian’s medical records, which can now be incorporated into PADU, where it can be utilized as a health/vaccination passport, somewhat similar to My Sejahtera app played during the last Covid-19 pandemic.

The former DAP MP Ong Kian Ming has urged the government to suspend the rollout of PADU until security issues have been restored.

PADU is quickly taking Malaysia into an Orwellian future.

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