JOHOR BARU: The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) is committed to strengthening the government's relationships with the people through its roles as an agency responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating the latest figures.
Johor DOSM director, Mazreha Ya'akub, said one of the approaches used was through participation at the Jom Heboh Carnival 2023 to enhance public awareness about the products produced for all segments of society.
"We want the public to be aware of our existence and provide good responses and feedback during census exercises or surveys because reliable data is crucial in generating statistics that can be used by policymakers.
"At the same time, we are committed to fulfilling the Johor government's mandate to ensure that DOSM's presence is felt by all," she said in an exclusive interview recently.
Mazreha said the department's participation in the three-day carnival, which took place at the Angsana Johor Bahru Mall here until last Sunday, marked the second time DOSM had participated in the Jom Heboh tour series across the country.
"Among the activities are interactive quizzes, Stats Talk, an exhibition of the department's latest products, 'Roda Impian' and 'Celik Nombor' for young visitors.
"Our participation in the carnival also marked the final leg of the National Statistics Day celebration tour, where we also promote the Agriculture Census to be held on July 7, next year," she said.
On October 20, Economy Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Nor Azmie Diron encouraged all parties at the state level to cooperate with DOSM in the nationwide agriculture census to provide the most accurate information about Malaysia's current agricultural situation.
He said the data collection would assist the government in formulating agricultural policies and strategies, including food security, and one of the priorities would be to enhance the country's food source production. --BERNAMA