‘eKasih system must be upgraded to ensure effective aid distribution’
KUCHING: The eKasih system previously used to obtain data of citizens assisting in the aid distribution process must be upgraded, said Datuk Abdullah Saidol.
The Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department said the previous review of these financial aid assistances were processed through the eKasih system managed by the respective district offices.
“In my opinion, it is better to use the information available in eKasih, provided that the system is upgraded first so that the same information can be used to ensure that government assistances introduced are received by those who are truly eligible,” he said in a report by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit.
He said this when met after witnessing the symbolic handover of bubur lambuk organised by the Manchester United Supporters Club (MUSC) Sarawak, here yesterday.
Abdullah said he did not discourage the public, especially those from the B40 group in dire need of government assistance, from filling in their information in the Central Database Hub (Padu).
“To me, there is no obstacle for them to register (for Padu) because the B40 group receives various forms of government assistance.
“Furthermore, most of them do not have permanent employment and only have one bank account, which will reduce their risk of falling victim to online scams,” he explained.
The Semop assemblyman also stressed that the public’s concerns about Padu need to be understood and taken seriously by the government, considering the alarming number of online fraud cases last year.
“We need to understand their concerns about the information distributed through Padu because they are worried that this information will be misused, especially their financial information.
“Just last year, we recorded no fewer than 23,000 victims of online scams involving losses amounting to RM1.22 billion,” he added.
In this regard, he expressed hope that with Padu, the banking sector will further tighten the security systems of user accounts to prevent them from easily falling prey to online scams.