PMKS Need No System Changes Under Malaysia’s Statistics Bill 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, AUGUST 2026 — Perusahaan Mikro, Kecil dan Sederhana (PMKS) will not need to modify their existing systems or develop new applications to comply with Malaysia’s Statistics Bill 2026, according to Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah.

He said the bill’s administrative data-sharing mechanism applies only to federal ministries, departments, government agencies, state governments and related bodies that hold administrative information.

MSMEs will continue to participate as statistical respondents by providing information through censuses and surveys conducted in person, by telephone or online.

Businesses may rely on records they already maintain, including accounting systems, annual financial statements and other business documents. No direct system integration or development of new digital applications will be required.

Mohd Shahar said stronger administrative data-sharing among government agencies could reduce the need for MSMEs to repeatedly submit the same information.

The approach is expected to lower compliance costs and ease reporting responsibilities, particularly for smaller businesses with limited administrative resources.

He added that the government aims to improve the efficiency and quality of official statistics without placing additional financial or technical burdens on the business sector.

The deputy minister made the clarification while concluding the second-reading debate on the Statistics Bill 2026 in the Dewan Negara.

The bill was subsequently passed by a majority vote after being debated by 17 senators.

Mohd Shahar also assured businesses and individuals that information collected under the legislation cannot be used to determine tax or levy liabilities.

Under Subclause 14(2), statistical data is protected from being used for those purposes, helping to separate official statistical collection from tax enforcement.

Ownership of administrative data will remain with the agencies that originally supplied it.

Detailed procedures covering data-sharing methods, access controls, information security and cybersecurity risk management will be set out through dedicated guidelines and must comply with existing government security policies and regulations.

Data received by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) may only be used for collecting, analysing, interpreting and distributing statistics in aggregated form.

Any unauthorised disclosure of identifiable individual information by a DOSM officer would constitute an offence and could result in legal action.

The government expects systematic data-sharing to improve policy development, reduce duplication among agencies and save public resources.

It could also produce more accurate and comprehensive statistics, improve access to detailed data and accelerate the delivery of government services to the public.

The Statistics Bill 2026 is intended to strengthen governance of the National Statistical System and reinforce DOSM’s role as Malaysia’s National Statistical Office.

It also promotes greater use of administrative data in official statistics and supports evidence-based policymaking across government.

The Dewan Rakyat passed the bill on July 16. Once implemented, it will replace the Statistics Act 1965 with a more modern and comprehensive legal framework aligned with Malaysia’s current data and statistical ecosystem.