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Stand up and be counted in e-Census for a better Malaysia

As the deadline to the Population and Housing Census 2020 (e-Census 2020) draws close, Department of Statistics Malaysia Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin has urged the people to play their part to build a better Malaysia.

Speaking to Twentytwo13, Mohd Uzir said the facilities and amenities enjoyed by the people today are a result of the information gathered from the older generation.

“We conducted our first census in 1970, and our parents and grandparents contributed by informing us of their needs. Along with administrative data, we used data gathered in the 70s, 80s and 90s to build facilities,” said Mohd Uzir.

“For many of us, schools were already built when we were born but we would not have done that over the years if we did not know the ratio of students and teachers in a particular locality beforehand.”

Mohd Uzir said some had compared the questions in the census to that of developed nations. There were also those who wondered why there were “many” questions.

He explained the questions are based on the requirements of various ministries and government agencies.

“For example, the distance between a person’s house to the nearest clinic or hospital will enable us to know if more hospitals are needed in a particular locality.

“It’s the same for schools, bus stops. recreational facilities and also jobs,” he said.

There are 108 questions, but Mohd Uzir said one does not need to answer questions which are not applicable to them.

“In the 70s, we asked people on the type of toilets they used at home and the data gathered led the Rural Development Ministry back then to distribute toilet bowls to rural areas.

“Now we are asking people if they have Internet access and how long it takes them to commute to their workplace.

“This will help us know the percentage of Malaysians spending more than an hour to get to their workplace which will be vital to improve our public transportation service.”

He added some 100,000 non-citizens had also completed the e-Census since it began on July 7.

“Non-citizens, including workers and students, can take part as long as they have resided in the country for more than six months,” he said.

With only 1.5 million people completing the e-Census as of last Wednesday, compared to our 32.7 million population, Mohd Uzir hopes more people will participate online.

He said it’s best to do it online rather than wait for the face-to-face census session which begins on Oct 7.

To take part in the e-Census, visit https://ecensus.mycensus.gov.my