Dept to adhere to SOP while conducting exercise under RMCO
The latest once-in-adecade national census exercise will be more challenging due to the ongoing movement control order (MCO).
Launching the Malaysian Population and Housing Census 2020 yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the exercise would be important in understanding the latest demographics to serve as a reference for national development planning.
“Through a census exercise, the government can identify the size, distribution, composition and socioeconomic characteristics of the people in Malaysia.
“Information about education, health, recreational facilities and road networks gathered through the census will be used to formulate and implement government policies for development and the people’s well-being,” said Muhyiddin.
He reminded that the country was still facing difficult times due to the pandemic.
“We are still under the recovery MCO phase and as such there will be guidelines or standard operating procedure that must be complied with by the National Statistics Department staff and those involved in conducting Census 2020,” Muhyiddin
said at the launch held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
He said information obtained through the census would shape the lives of future generations with the aim of leading the country to greater heights.
“The good life and benefits that we enjoy are due to the commitment of the people who provided the information needed during the last five censuses,” he added.
Muhyiddin added that the government was committed to continuing with the 12th Malaysia Plan and Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (WKB2030) development programmes initiated by the previous administration.
To implement WKB2030, there are current and future planning
needs that require the government to be more proactive and responsive, he added.
“In order to enhance the people’s well-being, decisions must be made correctly based on comprehensive facts and evidence,” said the Prime Minister.
Also present at the event were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
Uzir said the first phase of Census 2020 would be carried out online until Sept 30, with the second phase involving face-to-face interviews from Oct 7 to Oct 24.
The last time the national census was carried out was in 2010 when the country’s population was at 32.6 million, with previous exercises also held in 1970, 1980, 1991 and 2000.