KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — All data registered on the central data hub, better known as Padu, is encrypted, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said.

He said this meant that even if a hacker managed to breach the system, the data files would have to go through a decryption process.

“Each data registered with Padu is encrypted, which means even if it is successfully hacked, as what they say security is breached, the files acquired must be decrypted.

“Unless the hacker has a supercomputer for decryption, each data acquired will be gibberish.

“I have not said this before, but since we are already at the tail end of (the registration process), that’s why the task is long and tedious, because we need encryption, that has been done,” Rafizi told Parliament during Minister’s Question Time today.

He was responding to PKR’s Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who asked for details on the government’s mechanism to increase and expedite registrations, as well as the steps that are being taken to ensure that Padu is not misused.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that there was no trust deficit among non-Malays towards the unity government that may have affected Padu registrations negatively.

Rafizi said that 90 per cent of non-Malay voters have confidence in the unity government.

“If there is a trust deficit, it isn’t with the unity government but with the Opposition bloc.

“What Pasir Mas is trying to say is that the low registration rate among non-Malays reflects their trust deficit with the unity government. Pasir Mas’ views aren’t accurate.

“The actual situation is a bulk of non-Bumiputera and non-Malays don’t usually receive government aid on a monthly basis, and that’s why many aren’t in the government’s system,” he said.

He added that many non-Malays and non-Bumiputera feel that they belong in the middle 40 (M40) income group and above so they do not think that they would be eligible for aid.

“That’s the reason, not a trust deficit.

“That is why we are trying to convince the non-Malays that some of them risk being left out.

“Not all non-Bumiputera M40 are wealthy, and therefore, some are eligible to receive aid. If they don’t register, they will be left out,” he said.

Rafizi was responding to a supplementary question by PAS’ Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari who asked if a trust deficit among non-Malays was to blame for the low Padu registration rate among non-Malays.

Ahmad Fadhli gave an example of how Sarawak had recently voiced its concerns and seemingly had low confidence in Padu.

Regarding Sarawak’s situation, Rafizi said there was no issue with registrations in Sarawak until last week.

“If we look at Sarawak, they are among the highest registrations because the state government had before this deployed its machinery.

“What I have been told is that a few questions were raised in the Sarawak Cabinet that the data collected required too much unnecessary detail. According to this view, if we want to channel aid, we should just focus on the poor and not open it to the public.

“The instructions given do not prevent Sarawakians from registering. In fact, registrations are still ongoing except on an individual basis.

“It is just that the Sarawak government has asked its staff to not conduct anymore mass registrations as was done previously.

“The Sarawak state government will provide an explanation in due course,” Rafizi said.