Non-Malays feel ineligible for aid, not lack of trust in govt, says Rafizi on low Padu registration numbers

KUALA LUMPUR: The low number of registrations with the central database hub (Padu) among non-Malays is not due to a lack of trust in the government, but rather, because they feel they are ineligible for any aid, says Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli (pic).

“They are not found in the government system, while many of them fall within the M40 and above income groups. Hence, they are not eligible for any aid,” he told Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (March 26).

Rafizi was responding to a supplementary question from Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.

Rafizi stated that regarding the trust deficit among non-Malays, he can confidently affirm that over 90% of non-Malay voters have complete confidence in today’s Madani government.

He urged non-Malays in need to apply for assistance, emphasising that everyone can now participate in all government programmes.

“I am most concerned about the risk of eligible recipients of government aid being left out.

“That’s why we’re trying to convince the non-Malay population that some of them are at risk of losing out,” he said.

According to him, the highest registration is in opposition states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, and Kedah.

“In the more urban states, where people feel they don't need assistance, we observe registration rates are about 5% to 10% lower compared to states on the east coast and in the north,” he added.

The number of registrations had increased to 7.7 million as of March 24.