The website is too slow, the server is down and I can’t submit my reply.
These are just some of the grouses and complaints of Malaysians over the past few weeks regarding the Population and Housing Census 2020 (Census 2020).
And while he acknowledges that some of these grouses hold water, Department of Statistics Malaysia Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin remains optimistic, dismissing these grouses as hiccups that can be overcome easily if one does not give up.
“With only 15 days before the e-Census deadline, we encourage people to participate not just during the day or peak hours but to log on during off-peak hours, at night or early morning,” said Mohd Uzir, adding the system is accessible 24 hours.
“We started e-Census on July 7 and we are at the last 15 days and with a population of 32.7 million people, it could be due to the large volume of people logging in at the same time and we have already cautioned the people about doing things at the last minute,” he said.
To help ease the volume of people logging in at the same time, Mohd Uzir said the department has opened kiosks in public areas nationwide and people can fill up their replies via tablets.
This afternoon, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said only 1.5 million people have responded to the e-Census when the target was 32.7 million.
Ismail Sabri said Phase 2 of the census from Oct 7 to Oct 24 will be done face-to-face. The minister, however, urged the public to use e-Census if they want to avoid the face-to-face census which will see some 113,000 enumerators going house-to-house.
On those who claim they have not logged into the system as they have not received their e-Census cards via post, Mohd Uzair said the cards with invitation codes were only sent to 30 per cent of the 32.7 million population.
“These 30 per cent are those who we feel will not have problems filling up the census forms as their household data corresponds with our system. For example, their house address in our system is the same as their current address,” he explained.
“But even without the card, people can still access our website and register for a code which will allow them to take part in the census,” he said, adding some have received the cards but have yet to respond.
Mohd Uzir said this was the second time the country was using e-Census with the first in 2010 on a small scale.
“The e-Census in 2010 was not successful and judging by feedback, it looks like Malaysians still prefer face-to-face.
“Malaysia is not the only nation facing this problem. Korea faced this problem as well and they were only successful with e-Census after several attempts,” he said.
He added the department was hoping more than 10 million people would complete the census online so the department does not need to deploy too many enumerators house-to-house.
“We hope city dwellers will use e-Census so only those living in the outskirts or those who are not IT savvy will use the face-to face session,” he said.
Mohd Uzir said there are 108 questions which will take between 20 and 45 minutes to answer.
It will be quicker if you are single or a married couple without children.” he added.
“We are heading towards developed nation status and the questions are based on the needs of the ministries and agencies, including education, jobs, basic amenities and well-being,” he added.
Here’s the round-up of The News Normal today.
GOVT: SITUATION IN TAWAU, LAHAD DATU UNDER CONTROL
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says the Covid-19 situation in Tawau and Lahad Datu in Sabah is under control.
“There is no curfew or any directive that those who return from Sabah will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine. There is just too much fake news and this is causing panic,” he said.
The Health Ministry has thus far screened 3,981 people in Tawau and 1,421 in Lahad Datu and from these numbers, 331 tested positive in Tawau and 89 in Lahad Datu.
Of the 331 cases in Tawau, 205 are prisoners while the 89 cases in Lahad Datu are detainees at police lock-ups,” he said.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to address the nation at 8pm today on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
SIBLINGS, COMPANY MANAGER CHARGED OVER SG GONG POLLUTION
Four brothers, who are directors of Yip Chee Seng and Sons Sdn Bhd, claimed trial to two charges in the Selayang Sessions Court of allegedly polluting Sungai Gong in Rawang on Sept 3 which caused a massive water disruption to 1.2 million consumers in the Klang Valley.
The Yip brothers – Kok Wai, 52; Kok Mun, 58; Kok Kuin, 50; and Kok Weng, 60 – and manager Ho Voon Leong, 59, were accused of intentionally committing mischief by causing hazardous waste from the factory to flow into Sungai Gong. If found guilty, they face a jail sentence of between five and 30 years or a fine or both.
For the second charge, the five men were accused of committing mischief by causing hazardous waste from the factory to flow into Sungai Gong without a licence. If found guilty they face a jail sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to RM100,000 or both.
THOMAS, UBER CUPS POSTPONED TO 2021
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has postponed the BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2020 scheduled in Aarhus, Denmark.
The tournaments were originally scheduled for May but were pushed to Oct 3-11 following the Covid-19 pandemic.
BWF’s decision comes following the withdrawal of participating teams, including Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia.
In a statement, BWF said: “These are exceptional circumstances we find ourselves in and while a return to international badminton remains a priority for the BWF, the health and safety of the entire badminton community is of utmost importance.”
BRING BACK SINGAPOREANS TO M-LEAGUE
Being a rather small market compared to China and Indonesia, there are clearly plenty of benefits in liberalising our football competitions and opening them up to Singapore clubs, writes Twentytwo13 contributor Muhammad Yunus Zakariah.
Dissimilar to huge markets that have the luxury of looking inwards and becoming self-sustainable, he says Malaysia is a small market that needs an outlook that goes beyond its borders.
