Santiago said the low uptake, which has prompted calls for legislation to help boost registrations, showed the government had yet to win public support for the endeavour.
It also suggests that the government was not doing enough to promote the initiative, he added.
“It means you haven’t done your outreach, you haven’t done your stakeholder consultation, you haven’t gone out and sold the idea.
“If the government is planning to legislate just because people are not voluntarily doing it, then it shows the problem is with the government,” the former Klang MP told FMT.
Santiago also warned the government against taking a “shortcut” via enacting laws to resolve issues, particularly as it may involve sensitive matters such as the right to privacy, access to information, and financial data.
“The government should inspire confidence in its policies and also in the apps that it is using. We should not lose sight of that,” he said.
He went on to suggest that the government engage stakeholders and “get people talking about it to hype it up”.
On Monday, the Dewan Rakyat was told that the government was considering introducing legislation to regulate and boost the MyDigital ID system.
Federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the current voluntary registration model was an impediment that the government was looking to address.
“Right now, the government is looking at the possibility of formulating an Act for MyDigital ID, to potentially make it mandatory for people to sign up,” she said in response to a supplementary question from Beluran MP Ronald Kiandee, who had raised concerns about public confidence in the initiative.
Separately, former Malaysian Bar president Salim Bashir said while MyDigital ID could facilitate access to government services and reduce online fraud, it was not a foolproof system.
“The significant challenge to implement it mandatorily in Malaysia is the issue of breach of data privacy and security,” he said when contacted.
However, Salim said, any legislation to make registration compulsory must be enacted by Parliament through a Federal Act and aligned with the Personal Data Protection Act, 2010.
“The widespread concerns are privacy issues, cybersecurity and government surveillance. A data breach could lead to unauthorised access and misuse of personal information. Any perceived weaknesses will erode public confidence and trust.”
Salim reminded the government that not everyone owns a smartphone or has access to a computer.
“Poor internet infrastructure in rural areas will further exacerbate the problems.”
He warned that rushing into mandatory registration without proper studies, test runs and coordination between ministries could lead to “mishaps and adversity to the general public”.