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Access snags force census extension
The national census will run an extra two weeks until June 15 to allow more time for citizens to return their survey forms, for census offi cers to reach remote regions and for residents to stand up and be counted
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he national census will run an extra two weeks until June 15 to allow more time for citizens to return their survey forms, for census offi cers to reach remote regions and for residents to stand up and be counted.
Previously, the scheduled completion date for the Rp 3 trillion census had been today, and the results
were to be announced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Aug. 17 to coincide with the commemoration of Indonesia’s 65th Independence Day.
Chairman of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Rusman Heriawan said Saturday that fi eld offi cers
conducting the census had encountered a slew of problems that forced the delay, including uncooperative wealthy citizens in urban areas and poor access to residents in remote areas outside of Java.
“There are some areas that have not been covered by our offi cers,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Field officers assigned to big cities have reported that one common problem they faced was that residents of houses, particularly large upscale ones, would not open their doors to them.
Ivan Johar, an offi cer from the Jakarta bureau, said several resident in upscale houses had refused to complete the census because they did not want to reveal information related to their wealth and income.
“Most of them refused to reveal information about their income, or the size of their homes,” Ivan told
the Post.
Ivan said that wealthy residents in Taman Alfa Indah, Puri Kembangan and Puri Botanical Residence — all in West Jakarta — had been the most unwilling to comply.
He said the most frustrating part of his job was dealing with people who lied about being away from
home to avoid fi lling out the census form.
He said many residents had sent out their security guards to meet the officers. This trick, he said, meant the offi cers then had to approach the neighborhood unit chief to explain the importance of the census.
As of Saturday, the statistics agency said, census offi cers had surveyed 89.8 percent of the country, reaching an estimated 227.6 million people.
Indonesia’s population in 2000 was 205.1 million, according to the previous census. It is the fourth
most populous nation after China, India and the United States.
The 2000 census showed that 121 million or 60 percent of the total population of Indonesia lived
in Java.
This year’s census requires citizens to divulge 43 items of information, including the area of their
home and data on education, occupation and literacy. The format of the census was based on recommendations from the United Nations.
Rusman said the biggest challenge facing the census offi cers was lack of access to isolated residential areas outside of Java.
“Transportation costs to reach such areas are very high,” he said. However, he said, most people
living in such areas had responded to the survey with enthusiasm.
Rusman also admitted that officers had found it diffi cult to reach working people in big cities.
“Their homes are easy to reach, but the people are not,” he said.
According to the agency’s website, the 2010 census aims to update citizenship data and to evaluate the achievement of development programs as stipulated in the Millennium Development Goals. It also aims to gain better insight into Indonesian citizens. (rdf/ipa)
