PETALING JAYA, March 31 — As the Central Database Hub (Padu) system registration closes at midnight tonight, the number of individuals updating their information as of noon today has increased to 10.8 million, said chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.

He said that the number was equivalent to 48.3 per cent of the total number of 21.96 million Malaysians, aged 18 and above. He was optimistic that the target of 50 per cent of people to register and update their personal information with the Padu system, could be reached by midnight tonight.

He said that as many as 1,902 physical registration counters nationwide were open until 5pm today, for government, agencies and community-level programmes.

"Based on the report we received, most of the physical counters received an influx of people who wanted to register for Padu, and this shows that the people are accepting the initiative of the Padu system.

"Currently, among the states with the highest number of Padu registrations and updates are Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan, which have exceeded the 50 per cent target,” he said.

He said this in a press conference after Padu registration with the chief statistician programme at Flat Seri Aman, Section 22, here today.

He also added that, since the Padu system was launched on January 2, the system has continued to function without interruption or downtime, despite high traffic volume.

That is one of the proofs that the system has been developed well, to ensure that the registration service and the information update process can be done smoothly, he said.

"As we stated before, this system is safe to use, and the data stored in the Padu system is also safe,” he said.

Commenting further, Mohd Uzir said that the data stored in the Padu system will make it easier for the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) to carry out analysis and census activities to facilitate the distribution of government aid, in addition to helping the government to introduce policies which suit the needs of the people.

He added that DOSM needs dynamic data to carry out analysis, and for individuals who do not register with the Padu system, DOSM will use existing basic data.

Registration for the Padu system ends at midnight tonight. — Bernama