National Census to be extended until July 10

JAKARTA (JP): The decadal National Census is to be adjourned until July 10 as it is almost certain to fail to meet its June 30 deadline, an official said on Monday.

In other provinces, however, the census is running on schedule, Rusmandesiar, head of the population division of the city office of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), said.

"We need more time because so far the census has only covered 86 percent of the total 19,126 census blocks in the city, so it seems to be impossible to meet the Friday deadline," he said.

His office could not even state the number of people in Jakarta who had been censused so far.

Rusmandesiar said that to speed up the enumeration process, BPS Jakarta had deployed 39 extra office staff to back up the 12,065 people already hired to carry out the job.

The deployment of staff to the field left his office at the City Hall complex in Central Jakarta empty on Monday.

"We have also asked the BPS central office to give us some of their staff to help us out," he added.

He said the main factor behind the failure to meet the deadline was the uncooperative attitude of many city residents, particularly those living in middle- to upper-class housing complexes.

These people were not willing to be interviewed, Rusmandesiar said.

Normally, he said, census officials could finish counting one block, containing 80 to 120 families, within three days but due to such difficulties their work could only be accomplished in between six and eight days.

Previously, Rusmandesiar was optimistic that his men could meet the deadline for the one-month project.

The snail-like progress of the census in the city has been evident from the beginning of the process, when some of the people hired by the city to do the job refused to continue, saying that the details of their payment were unclear.

Others resigned after learning that the job was too hard for them.

Staff members receive Rp 2,250 for each family they visit and count.

The budget for the census was Rp 4.7 billion and was taken from the state budget. An extra Rp 5.4 billion was taken from the city budget for a supplementary question in the questionnaire on the economic status of respondents.

This year's census is the fifth conducted in the country since its independence in 1945. Prior censuses were held in 1961, 1971, 1980 and 1990.

Rusmandesiar said that officials who had finished their task had started to receive payment.

"We have disbursed Rp 2.2 billion to each of the city's five mayoralties," he said.

Interviewed separately, census staff confirmed the difficulties they were facing in the field.

Ismiranti, who is responsible for surveying Green Garden housing complex in West Jakarta, said there were too many home owners who refused to meet her.

"I once interviewed a resident from the gate," she said.

She said she could understand that people were more careful now due to escalating crime levels.

Similar complaints were also heard in Gelora in Central Jakarta.

Head of the subdistrict's administrative affairs office Sutiyadi said that census officials had only counted about 50 percent of the people living in the area.

"We actually have only 5,123 residents here but most are middle- and high-class, who are difficult to be met. Others live in apartments that have special procedures to get in," he said.

Another problem is criminal behavior by security guards at some housing complexes.

Sutiyadi said guards often asked for money from census men after accompanying them on their tasks.

"We have received reports that census officials at Sunter Agung housing complex (in North Jakarta) are reluctant to do their jobs as security guards there are demanding money," he said. (ind)