Dear Editor,
I refer to a newspaper article caption “Building strong institutions crucial to fighting corruption – World Bank, IDB”. But how is this going to happen when at every turn, national institutions like the Census Bureau are being undermined. The Bureau of Statistics have completed their work since March 2024 and the draft report is on the Minister’s desk since then and all he is telling us is soon. Why is Minister Ashni Singh hiding the 2022 National Census? He said in November in front of the international donor community and diplomats that he will release the 2022 National Census before the end of 2024. We will hold him to that promise.
A national census is a crucial tool for national planning as it provides a comprehensive snapshot of a country’s population. This data is essential for informed decision-making across various sectors. How is Guyana making decisions with 2012 data when, for example, the demography and mixed race population is now reputed to be over 25%. Do we know what is the 2022 age distribution of the population is? Are we getting to be a younger nation or an older nation? These things have major implications. What about the gender ratio? We have not a clue today. What about the education level of the nation? From what I am reading on social media, it appears that the masses are not going to school and thus what is the education policy doing to ensure more of our people are functionally literate and are competent matriculators?
What gaps in the job market are more pronounced? How are we planning to fill them? Without up-to-date data, we are flying this plane called ‘Guyana’ blindly. But the most important information is the status of income distribution. Guyana is now the richest nation in all of the Western Hemisphere save and except the United States and Canada. But do we know how this wealth is being distributed? I am told many families are still getting by on less than 100,000 Guyana dollars per month. This census should be able to allow the Government to find those in the bottom half of the nation and empower them with night school and seed capital to get them to improve their earning capacity.
The road network is a mess and there is no urban planning in Guyana and this census should help us better understand the degree of destruction in this area and to inform the urgency of the action required and the type of action required. And there are so much more data. By collecting and analyzing this data, the government can make informed decisions about resource allocation, policy development, and infrastructure planning. A well-conducted census ensures that public policies are tailored to the needs of the population and contribute to the overall development of the country. This document must not be seen as a political document but one that can help all Guyanese. Come on Minister Ashni Singh, get up and get going.
Sincerely,
Jai Lall
