This comes after a Sarawak minister urged the government to exempt higher-income groups from registration, saying only those genuinely in need of aid should do so.

Sarawak tourism, creative industry and performing arts minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said those who do not need assistance should not be made to divulge their personal information in such a database.

At a press conference here today, Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said Abang Johari is currently in Kuala Lumpur and the matter will be discussed.

“The prime minister and the premier had a brief conversation on this, and it was decided that there will be a follow-up discussion,” he said.

However, he said, Padu is still open for registration, and the response in Sarawak has been “quite good”.

On Wednesday, deputy economy minister Hanifah Hajar Taib said  while registration with Padu is not compulsory, it is encouraged for citizens aged 18 and above.

Google currency conversion

Fahmi said Google’s currency conversion widget no longer allowed currency conversions to or from the ringgit following discussions with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

“They have taken down certain features to avoid any mistakes. I would like to thank Google for this,” he said.

The search engine giant recently ran into trouble with the central bank over its “inaccurate” reporting of the ringgit exchange rate against the US dollar last Friday.

BNM said an exchange rate of RM4.98 to US$1 as quoted by Google last week did not reflect the actual trading, and that it would engage the company for an explanation and to take corrective measures.