Frustrated by technical issues with e-Census

ON Wednesday, the period for Malaysians to fill in the 2020 e-Census will be over. An online census is the best way to collect citizen data in this digital age, as a lot of people have access to the Internet. But this exercise has been spoiled by technical issues that have not been handled very well by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Before you can fill in the census online you need to receive an invitation code, or the census ID. The DOSM has sent only one to three million postcards with the invitation code to selected household addresses. Those who do not receive the postcard need to apply for it online through the DOSM website, and that is when the biggest hurdle to filling in the online census arises.

I’m struggling to get the invitation code. I got the email that said my pre-registration was successful and that asked me to verify my information. After the verification, I received a notice that asked me to wait for the invitation code. I’ve waited for almost two weeks and still haven’t received the code. I tried to complain through email and the hotline but did not get any response. When I did some research online, it seems that a lot of people are facing this same problem. Some had their pre-registration rejected instantly. Some didn’t get any reply at all.

This unnecessary problem need not have arisen at all if the DOSM had just sent the invitation code to all residences that had been registered in the 2010 Census. Just send the postcard with the invitation code to the registered address. Whether the recipients want to fill in the census online or sit for a face-to-face interview, it’s up to them.

The Chief Statistician of Malaysia lamented that the DOSM can’t achieve the target of nine million citizens filling in the census online – well, this is why, because even getting the invitation code is proving impossible.