KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 — The overall development progress of the central database hub (Padu) is currently at 72 per cent and system testing will be done in two months, from November to December 2023, the Ministry of Economy said today.

The ministry said that after its launch, scheduled for January 2024 until March 2024, the Padu system will be open to users to enable the updating of individual information in the Padu system and this information will be verified to ensure its validity.

The Padu system is being developed internally using the expertise of existing civil servants without involving the appointment of external consultants and is led by the Ministry of Economy.

The development of Padu also involved several key agencies such as the Department of Statistics Malaysia and the Malaysian Administration Modernisation and Management Planning Unit which provide technical expertise in the development of ICT systems and the digitisation of the public sector.

"The Ministry of Finance is also involved in examining the allocation requirements for the development of Padu,” the minister said in a written answer posted on the Parliament’s website today.

The development of the Padu system started in June 2023 and it faced several obstacles, including constraints in data sharing, existing systems and databases in ministries and agencies operating in silos, system security and personal data protection. — Bernama