We need to know exact population

TRY check Google and see if you can find the exact population of Papua New Guinea. To date, there is nothing. There is nothing on the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) website. There are no official publications by the authority in charge of the national census. All we have is an educated guess of about 8.78 million Papua New Guineans living, breeding and procreating.Staggering numbers have been screaming into the world at every labour ward overwhelming to the ones quietly withering away unaccounted each year. An educated guess does not suffice the adequate statistical information for designing formidable evidence based on policies and national planning. Therefore, we cannot go on playing the “guessing game” with vital statistics. Census statistics form a significant base for planning, policy development and decision-making in the country. The aspirations of a national agenda such as “Take back PNG” is to attain national goals and to achieve a fair measure of success in the goals.This requires mapping out strategic plans, setting up machinery for execution of the plans and monitor the implementation process. And that is exactly where the role of census statistics is vital and relevant.The 2022 national general elections are just months away and we still do not have accurate data to provide the basis of our common roll and general population count. So the need for census and demographic mapping has become more critical than ever. It is required, by law ,under Section 106 of the Constitution, that a census be held before a national election. But by application, a census every five years was practically impossible, given the costs. That’s why parliament had approved moving census to every 10 years.Unfortunately, the last two successive census – 2010 and 2020 – failed, rendering no valid data to date. The only census that was successful was the one in 2000, as per the official results. In fact, the country has been operating with information that is 20 years old. Now, what happened to good old census that provides comprehensive and detailed data on the whole population together with demographic, social and economic indicators – population growth rates, age and gender composition? The primary cause of these failures is that we’ve allowed politics to creep into the NSO, which is a highly technical and skilled-oriented office. Statistical analysis, data science and data mining is a world of its own. Statisticians use mathematical techniques to analyse and interpret data and draw conclusions.Statisticians, also known as actuaries, are some of the world’s most sought after professionals. Like all things Papua New Guinea, politics corroborated with corruption and undermined the sanctity data. All these was done in pursuit of the money that is seemingly glittering in abundance at the NSO. Successive governments came in with their political cronies with “let’s make hay while the sun shines” intent to take control of the millions of kina earmarked for census, the national identification (NID) project and related work.Without delivering the census of 2010, 2020 and NID, these political appointees succeed in their mission to pillage and plunder NSO for every toea and run away. Twenty years on, and we still don’t have credible data. It is now incumbent upon the Marape Government to restore credibility at NSO and deliver a successful census in the remaining months before election.That can only be achieved if the Government can appoint a career statistician. There are highly qualified and experienced people who not only have their reputation and integrity preceding them but have also delivered the successful 2000 national census.

David Lepi