Myanmar pilot census program to take place on March 30
Posted by: PNA
Post date: 10 March 2013
This
month marks a turn in the politics of Myanmar, as on March 30 the country will launch its first national census in
three decades. The mock census program will be used to evaluate potential
challenges that may arise in the actual count that will take place in 2014.
The
census is estimated to cost US$58.5 million with much of its success hinging
upon the mutual commitment of the government and international development
partners. It has been emphasized that the success of the program is rooted in
looking at the census not as a one-way communication but as a two-way
communication to allow a dialogue between the local authorities and the public
at large.
Mr.
David Scott Mathieson, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch (HRW) who
has focused on Myanmar commented that “ the logistical and security challenges
of the census process are immense”. Mr. Mathieson has also addressed the issue in accessing some of the isolated and
persecuted populations, which he surmises “will be a huge undertaking”.
In
addition to requiring access to conflict-affected areas of the country, census
organizers must also work at overcoming some residents’ long-standing distrust
of the state; and there could also be funding problems, activists say.
According
to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Assistance (OCHA), over 80,000 people have been displaced by conflict in Kachin
and Shan states.
Issues
also arise in tallying the nearly 800,000 Rohingyas living in Arakan state; the
Rohingya are de jure stateless under the
country’s law. Burmese authorities consider them undocumented immigrants and do
not recognize them as citizens or as an ethnic group. The country’s last two
official censuses in 1973 and 1983 did not list them as part of the population.
Nyi
Nyi, a deputy director of the Department of Population, the government agency
carrying out the census, was clear the census is about numbers - indicating
everyone within the country’s borders on census day - 29 March 2014 - will be
counted, regardless of citizenship. The only people to be excluded from the
count are staff from foreign embassies and consulates.
“This
is major step for our country and will allow us to better determine development
programmes for our country,” said Nyi Nyi.
Results
obtained from the last official census
on 31 March 1983, placed the population of Myanmar at 35,442,972. Current
estimates put today’s figure at well over 60 million, including 135 recognized
ethnic groups.
A
key challenge in the process includes the lack of expertise as most of the
civil servants who worked on the 1973 and 1983 censuses are now retired.
A
questionnaire with 41 questions will be available for public review with the
pilot census. Enumerators will be trained on how to explain the questionnaire
to various ethnic groups, including those who are illiterate. Local enumerators
will also be assigned to corresponding areas where different languages and
dialects are spoken.
Other challenges with the project include little awareness among
the population about the census and reaching areas with ongoing fighting.
In
Karen state where armed groups have been at war with the government for more
than 60 years and hundreds of thousands remain internally displaced, community
workers say residents have almost no knowledge of the census, but also worry
about possible abuses.
Another
concern is that the census can be used as a tool to manipulate the numbers of
people who support the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development
Party, in the scheduled 2015 parliamentary election.
Preliminary
findings from the nationwide count next year are expected in July 2014.
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