Puad hit out at Padu for personal reasons, says Rafizi

KUALA LUMPUR: Only a handful of politicians are against the Central Database Hub (Padu) and their adverse views should not be construed as the opinion of the majority, says Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi claimed that they were critical of Padu because of personal reasons, and one of them was Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi.

ALSO READ: Padu’s flaws are Rafizi's failures, says Puad

“Puad disagrees with me because I raised the 1MDB issue and he was in the Special Affairs Department (Jasa).

“He later lost the election and was out of the government. So it's personal,” Rafizi alleged to reporters after the soft launch of the KL20 Summit 2024 in Parliament on Wednesday (March 27).

Rafizi said the same applied to the other politicians constantly attacking Padu.

“These four or five people are politicians who are making noise because it is personal,” he said.

Despite the minor criticisms, Rafizi said it is important for Malaysians to be objective and rational to see the potential of Padu.

ALSO READ: Padu system meets international standards, says Rafizi

“Over the last week, between 300,000 and 400,000 people registered on a daily basis,” he added.

Rafizi said he would do his best to address criticisms and concerns of Padu, but it was important that Malaysians do not lose sight of its role as an important component to carry out major national reforms.

He also praised the civil service for working around the clock on Padu, adding that Malaysians should give them credit for this.

“We want an efficient and international-standard government and civil service.

"But when they (the civil service) stepped up and gave their best, we chose to give space to four or five individuals who are looking for click-bait,” he said.

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In a Facebook posting on Sunday (March 24), Puad labelled Rafizi a “formula king” and claimed that Padu had failed.

Rafizi also urged the media to be more mindful when publishing the views of certain leaders.

“Puad wrote a Facebook post and it was made into national news... If that’s the case, then you should make news from the comments of everyone on Facebook,” said Rafizi.

“What is at stake here is bigger than the comments of one or two personalities. What is at stake here is our national fiscal stability and aid to the millions of people out there,” he added.