Commission X of House of Representatives: 2026 Economic Census must be accurate, not tailored data

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Deputy Chairman of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, My Esti Wijayati, has urged the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) to coordinate intensively with regional governments in preparation for the 2026 Economic Census. In a statement released in Jakarta on Tuesday, Esti emphasised the importance of providing valid data as the basis for formulating government policies, rather than data that is tailored to specific interests. “The most important thing is that, as BPS will conduct the 2026 economic census, which is usually held every 10 years, BPS needs to conduct in-depth coordination, not just once but continuously, with regencies and cities so that it can provide valid data, not data that is tailored to specific interests,” said Esti after leading a working visit by Commission X in Ungaran, Semarang Regency, Central Java, on Monday (23 February). According to her, the validity of the data is key to ensuring that government policies and programmes are well-targeted, especially in efforts to improve and enhance the economic conditions of the community. “We have a great interest in this data from BPS. The programmes and policies created by the government must truly be in accordance with the real needs on the ground,” she said. Esti emphasised that BPS should strengthen coordination not only with regency and city governments but also with provincial governments. In addition, the public needs to be prepared so that the census process runs smoothly and the results can be trusted as the basis for formulating national policies. According to her, many complaints from the public have been conveyed to Commission X, even though the issue is not within its scope of responsibility. “We receive many complaints, ‘Madam, please close our BPJS [Social Security Agency] account’. This is a data issue. If the data is valid, there will definitely be no mistakes,” she said. Esti explained that inaccurate data can have an impact on the determination of recipients of assistance, such as participants in the BPJS Contribution Assistance Recipients (PBI) programme and families who are beneficiaries of the Family Hope Programme (PKH). “We must ensure that assistance goes to the right people. We must ensure that those who are in dire need actually receive their rights, while those who do not need it do not receive it,” said Esti. Therefore, she emphasised that the accuracy and integrity of data collection are very important. She hopes that the 2026 Economic Census will produce truly valid data so that it can become a strong foundation in the formulation of fair and well-targeted policies. The 2026 Economic Census will be held from May to July 2026 and is a routine event held every 10 years. The census will produce a current picture of the national economic structure and in-depth information by sector. Copyright © ANTARA 2026 It is strictly prohibited to take content, crawl or automatically index for AI on this website without written permission from the ANTARA News Agency.