adminKUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) — Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will not need to modify their existing systems or develop new applications to comply with the implementation of the Statistics Bill 2026, Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Indera Mohd Shahar Abdullah said.
He explained that the data-sharing mechanism provided under the bill only involves ministries, departments, federal government agencies, state governments and related bodies that hold administrative data.
He said MSMEs will continue to serve as statistical respondents by providing information through censuses or surveys conducted face-to-face, by telephone or online, and using existing records such as accounting systems, annual financial statements and business records. Any system integration or the development of new applications is not required for them.
“In fact, the implementation of administrative data sharing among government agencies is expected to reduce the need for MSMEs to repeatedly submit the same information, thereby lowering compliance costs and reporting burdens for businesses, particularly MSMEs.
“Through this approach, the government can improve the efficiency of official statistics delivery without imposing system changes or additional costs on the business sector,” he said in winding up the debate on the Statistics Bill 2026 during its second reading in the Dewan Negara today.
The bill was subsequently passed by a majority voice vote after being debated by 17 senators.
Mohd Shahar also clarified that data collected under the Statistics Bill 2026 cannot be used to determine tax or levy liabilities under Subclause 14(2). He said ownership of the data remains with the supplying agency, while implementation aspects, including data-sharing methods, access controls, information security safeguards and cyber risk management, will be detailed in data-sharing guidelines and will comply with government security policies and prevailing regulations.
According to him, data received by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) may only be used for the collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of statistics in aggregate form, as provided under Subclause 14(1). Any disclosure of individual information by DOSM officers constitutes an offence under Subclause 14(1)(c) and is subject to legal action.
Meanwhile, he said systematic data sharing as provided under Clause 5 is expected to improve the efficiency of policymaking, reduce duplication of data collection among agencies, save government costs and resources, produce more accurate and comprehensive statistics, enhance the availability of granular data, and accelerate the delivery of government services to the public.
He said the Statistics Bill 2026 aims to strengthen the governance of the National Statistical System, enhance the role of DOSM as the National Statistical Office (NSO), increase the use of administrative data in producing official statistics, and support evidence-based decision-making.
The Statistics Bill 2026 was passed by the Dewan Rakyat on July 16 to replace the Statistics Act 1965 (Act 415), to establish a more modern, comprehensive legal framework aligned with the current data and statistics ecosystem, among other objectives.
The Dewan Negara sitting was adjourned to a date yet to be determined.
–BERNAMA
