National Census to be extended until July 10<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The decadal National Census is to be adjourned
\nuntil July 10 as it is almost certain to fail to meet its June 30
\ndeadline, an official said on Monday.<\/p>\n
In other provinces, however, the census is running on
\nschedule, Rusmandesiar, head of the population division of the
\ncity office of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), said.<\/p>\n
\"We need more time because so far the census has only covered
\n86 percent of the total 19,126 census blocks in the city, so it
\nseems to be impossible to meet the Friday deadline,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His office could not even state the number of people in
\nJakarta who had been censused so far.<\/p>\n
Rusmandesiar said that to speed up the enumeration process,
\nBPS Jakarta had deployed 39 extra office staff to back up the
\n12,065 people already hired to carry out the job.<\/p>\n
The deployment of staff to the field left his office at the
\nCity Hall complex in Central Jakarta empty on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"We have also asked the BPS central office to give us some of
\ntheir staff to help us out,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said the main factor behind the failure to meet the
\ndeadline was the uncooperative attitude of many city residents,
\nparticularly those living in middle- to upper-class housing
\ncomplexes.<\/p>\n
These people were not willing to be interviewed, Rusmandesiar
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Normally, he said, census officials could finish counting one
\nblock, containing 80 to 120 families, within three days but due
\nto such difficulties their work could only be accomplished in
\nbetween six and eight days.<\/p>\n
Previously, Rusmandesiar was optimistic that his men could
\nmeet the deadline for the one-month project.<\/p>\n
The snail-like progress of the census in the city has been
\nevident from the beginning of the process, when some of the
\npeople hired by the city to do the job refused to continue,
\nsaying that the details of their payment were unclear.<\/p>\n
Others resigned after learning that the job was too hard for
\nthem.<\/p>\n
Staff members receive Rp 2,250 for each family they visit and
\ncount.<\/p>\n
The budget for the census was Rp 4.7 billion and was taken
\nfrom the state budget. An extra Rp 5.4 billion was taken from the
\ncity budget for a supplementary question in the questionnaire on
\nthe economic status of respondents.<\/p>\n
This year's census is the fifth conducted in the country since
\nits independence in 1945. Prior censuses were held in 1961, 1971,
\n1980 and 1990.<\/p>\n
Rusmandesiar said that officials who had finished their task
\nhad started to receive payment.<\/p>\n
\"We have disbursed Rp 2.2 billion to each of the city's five
\nmayoralties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Interviewed separately, census staff confirmed the
\ndifficulties they were facing in the field.<\/p>\n
Ismiranti, who is responsible for surveying Green Garden
\nhousing complex in West Jakarta, said there were too many home
\nowners who refused to meet her.<\/p>\n
\"I once interviewed a resident from the gate,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said she could understand that people were more careful
\nnow due to escalating crime levels.<\/p>\n
Similar complaints were also heard in Gelora in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Head of the subdistrict's administrative affairs office
\nSutiyadi said that census officials had only counted about 50
\npercent of the people living in the area.<\/p>\n
\"We actually have only 5,123 residents here but most are
\nmiddle- and high-class, who are difficult to be met. Others live
\nin apartments that have special procedures to get in,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another problem is criminal behavior by security guards at
\nsome housing complexes.<\/p>\n
Sutiyadi said guards often asked for money from census men
\nafter accompanying them on their tasks.<\/p>\n
\"We have received reports that census officials at Sunter
\nAgung housing complex (in North Jakarta) are reluctant to do
\ntheir jobs as security guards there are demanding money,\" he
\nsaid. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/national-census-to-be-extended-until-july-10-1447893297",
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