KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 15.9 million or 48.7 per cent Malaysians have completed the 2020 MyCensus, themed "Your Data Is Our Future" as of Wednesday (April 21), with a 16.8 million left to be enumerated.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said Putrajaya, Johor, Kelantan, Perlis, Perak and Melaka recorded a share of over 60 per cent against the estimated population of 32.7 million.
"The highest are Putrajaya at 100.8 per cent, followed by Johor (68.9 per cent), Kelantan (67.1 per cent), Perlis (65.9 per cent), Perak (63.1 per cent) and Melaka with 61.4 per cent. The lowest is Sabah where only 24.3 per cent of the population had completed the census.
"The remainders are Terengganu (57.6 per cent), Negeri Sembilan (55 per cent), Pulau Pinang (53.5 per cent), Selangor (45.9 per cent), Kedah (45.9 per cent), Labuan (38.3 per cent), Kuala Lumpur (38 per cent), Pahang (37.8 per cent) and Sarawak (35.4 per cent)."
Mohd Uzir said this during a live-streaming session of the NST Insight forum, where he was a panel member, at Balai Berita here, today. The forum was moderated by Senior News Editor Faridul Anwar Farinordin.
He said based on ethnicity, 9.55 million (56.9 per cent) of Malays out of the estimated 16.77 million population had been counted.
For Chinese, 3.47 million (51.6 per cent) had completed; 940,000 Indians or 46.6 per cent had submitted theirs while 1.38 million (35.6 per cent) of Bumiputeras had been counted, he added.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia, he said, would continue with the e-Census and door-to-door interview as the 2020 MyCensus is set to end June 30.
Mohd Uzir said they proceeded with the census which had been planned since 2016 amid the Covid-19 pandemic which had presented them with the opportunity to go big on e-census to deter contact between the people and enumerators to reduce the risks of infection, apart from the traditional door-to-door method.
Malaysia, he said, was among less than 20 countries that had gone ahead with the census despite the Covid-19 challenges worldwide.
Enumerators on the ground, he said, have been told to strictly follow the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures set by the National Security Council where they are to wear face masks, keep their distance, not to stay too long in a household and possibly avoid entering a house.
Among the challenges, he said, was access to gated and guarded residential homes which were mostly in urban areas where information was vital but responses were low.
To achieve better results, Mohd Uzir said they would seek cooperation from the Joint Management Bodies and Management Building committee to ensure all residents have completed census form.
With the deadline looming, Mohd Uzir said they would go on the ground aggressively from May 24 to June 8 to ensure that every Malaysian, as well as foreigners, were included in the census.
"We are pushing hard in the last mile to conclude the census using both platforms.We have to get it done because it has been close to a year since it started. We hope to have all the data available soon.
"The data is very important, powerful and valuable to us and we want that of high standard and quality which will be the pillar of the country's success. We need good data to bring the country to greater heights in various dimensions with proper planning in place by policy makers without wasting resources.
"We hope to get everyone's cooperation in completing the census. The data determines our future and for a better life. Census is conducted every 10 years and it gives an accurate picture of the country's current demographics which will serve as a source of reference and important foundation for the country's development planning.
"Looking back, the good lives and benefits that we enjoy today are the results of the cooperation and commitment of the people who provided the information needed during the last five censuses," he said.
Mohd Uzir added that a quality data checking approach is conducted through the quality control and post enumeration survey (PES) to measure the accuracy of the census by independently surveying a sample of the population where even the homeless would not be left behind.
The 2020 Census is being conducted in two phases where the first is on-going via e-census while the second phase involving face-to-face interviews which will run from May 24 until June 8.
He added that extensive promotion and publicity throughout the country was being done either via media electronic, social media and printed media to get those who have yet to respond either through e-Census or face-to-face interview.
Mohd Uzir said specific details such as MyKad numbers were required in the census to develop a population database known as Malaysia Statistical Population Register (MSPR) and assured that they were safe, confidential, only accessible to limited officers and protected under the Census Act 1960.
The MSPR, he said, gathers information on the Malaysian population covering demographic, educational, economic, social and individual characteristics that would form future policies at a local and national level that covers from building schools, bike lanes to badminton and futsal courts as well as supermarkets.
"The 2020 MyCensus provides the right population statistics that gives the government an input for the Malaysia Plan to chart socio-economic action plans for the country over the next ten years as well as the measurement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"We seek the public's best cooperation in the 2020 MyCensus by providing real and precise information," said Uzir.