– Chief Statistician Lennox Benjamin
CHIEF Statistician and National Census Officer, Mr. Lennox Benjamin, outlining the many challenges encountered in conducting the national census, urged recognition of the census as an “evidence-based measurement” of Guyana’s population.
Benjamin was speaking at the launch of the Preliminary Census Results of the 2012 Guyana Population & Housing Census, held at the Guyana International Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
Mr. Benjamin recalled occurrences of misleading information as he made reference to an article published in the print media after the release of the 2002 Census Report in which the author opined that the population of Guyana by the year 2050 would decline by half.
The Chief Statistician noted that there have been many distortions and misinformation about the population dynamics of Guyana. He credited the “individual and narrow perspective” of others as being the thrust of these distortions or misinformation in the media and elsewhere.
“Every one of us… has an opinion about what is happening to our population, based on our own individual and narrow perspective. That individual perspective, when extrapolated to represent the national experience, is highly distorted…. We must stick to time-tested instruments like the National Census to be our evidence-based information sources.” – Chief Statistician, Lennox Benjamin
“We must stick to time-tested instruments like the National Census to be our evidence-based information sources,” he appealed.
INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE
Guyana has proven to be compliant with its international obligations in the completion of the preliminary census report. “Guyana can now report to the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) that it has fulfilled its
obligations under the global 2010 round…and [will] share the findings contained…with the Demographic and Social Division of the United Nations”, Benjamin said.
Recognising that population dynamics form a significant component in the fabric of human and social change, Mr. Benjamin noted, “The plethora of information that will be collected will assist the policy-makers in determining whether Guyana is on track to achieve several of the Millennium Development Goals.”
Benjamin pointed out that while there is primary interest by some on the size of the population, “Of what value would be the knowledge of the size of the country’s population if that country has no insight into the living conditions, quality of life, proportion of ownership to rental of dwelling units, or the unsatisfied housing needs of its population?” he asked.
He said, “such information and more is provided by the housing component of a population and housing census.”
POPULATION CHANGE
The Chief Statistician was keen to note that the changing dynamics of the population are often followed by fears from the populace on a possible takeover by “foreign-born members” of the population.
Benjamin stressed that the census must be utilised as the sole instrument to determine the impact of the movements of peoples and all other domestic factors in population size and composition.
Similarly, census information that is released by countries which are compliant with the global census standard is utilised by the CARICOM Secretariat to complete Regional analyses. This information will be disseminated and will further benefit the Governments of the Region.
“The availability of the census information of each country also allows each CARICOM member country to evaluate its own progress or not, over the past ten years, (in relation) to other member countries,” the Chief Statistician said.
CHALLENGES
Benjamin recalled that conducting a census allows for the country to build on the experiences and challenges gained from previous censuses. These challenges, the Chief Statistician noted, will always be anticipated, and with the aim of solving them swiftly.
The Preliminary Report of the Census Results was presented, according to Benjamin, some 21 months after the commencement of the house-to-house enumeration process on September 15, 2012, and “exactly one year after we finally exited the fields since June 2013.”
The enumeration process was followed by post-enumeration check and other activities leading up to the June 2013 deadline. Challenges to data collection in the field were both social and geographical.
The Chief Statistician also noted that while there is a misconception that the Bureau of Statistics conducts the census, “in a way it is a bit misleading in its interpretation, because the reality is that the Bureau plans, executes, and manages the census exercise.”
He added, “The census is about the people, (and has been) carried out by the people.”
Aside from rugged, inaccessible terrain in some regions, the Bureau has recorded that the growth in gated communities continues to be an impediment to the effective work of the house-to-house enumerators, especially where security guards would have stopped such persons. Preventing an enumerator or a census-taker is contrary to the law.
“We accept the challenges that exist, and carry out our mandate nevertheless, because we had executed our mandates in the field”, Mr. Benjamin asserted.
(By Derwayne Wills)
