Sudan census, how possible is it to get good result?
By Ngor Arol Garang
April 22, 2008 — As the citizens and their semi autonomous government of southern Sudan have reluctantly given in for fifth population and housing census exercise to go ahead today, many southern Sudanese still question the decision taken by the presidency to exclude ethnicity and religion during their recent meeting in Khartoum on Sunday 13.
The failure to resolve or the exclusion of ethnicity and religion on census questionnaires form by the presidency decision has left many southerners including the author of this article with doubts to still hold an opinions that the result of the on going census exercise in Sudan would be conflicting.
Why, because census as depicted by its definition that it is a process of collecting, compiling, evaluating, analyzing and disseminating social economic and demographic information or in simple definition as defined as counting of all people living in a given region or country at a particular time is faced by many challenges which include but not limited to the presence of many southern Sudanese in the North and neighboring countries of Uganda, Kenya, Congo and Ethiopia.
What do we count, people or land, if people where are they? Is it going to be fair and inclusive exercise when the targeted people are still being forced by the same government to flee the country daily? Is Darfur not part of the regions of Sudan with people to be counted? If it is, what has the Khartoum government of Mr. Basher done so that people not under his Sudan armed forces take part in the exercise?
Above all, the exercise is starting at a wrong time since it is already a rainy season in the south, access to lowland (swampy areas) of Peth Lou and Kunyuk, Aweil East in North Bahr El Ghazal State and other areas in greater Bahr El Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile regions will not be possible. Isn’t a burden on enumerators to keep carrying census equipments on their heads in areas which do not allow vehicles to pass because of being wet and muddy?
Not only these short accounts but where are our women who are often marginalized and denied access to many opportunities such as education, social and political fulfillment.
Are they (women) abundantly informed or sensitized to avail all the children for counting? No, our women in most rural areas of Southern Sudan and Darfur were not adequately informed on time since this exercise is full of controversy.
Most people in Sudan leave the women are confused by how the NIF/NCP government in Khartoum is play about with census exercise.
Is the given time frame from today the 22 to 30 enough for the completion of the exercise all over the country with southern Sudan left behind for seven days while Khartoum and other Northern States had already illegally gone ahead?
This fifth population and housing census now going on in the country was thought and expected to be fair and inclusive so as to help both the central government of national unity and the semi autonomous government of Southern Sudan in formulating appropriate intervention strategies to provide information on total number of women with their level of education, employment, number of women who head house holds, number of women holding leadership positions and those that are having access to other social amenities.
It was also thought to provide clear data on production, marketing and investment from the central government, the government of Southern Sudan and the private sector, because census data will help private sector in particular to plan production, market and make investment decision in a country where a number of a targeted population to serve is known.
However, how can an investment company go to a state like Northern Bahr El Ghazal State for investment when the numbers of consumers or beneficiaries are not known?
What attract investment Companies in any given state or region to invest is determined by number of people to be serviced.
This exercise was also expected to provide information on housing especially in Juba where housing policy is still a challenge to the young government of Southern Sudan.
Not only housing but also electricity supply to those who are housed but have problem with power supply, wealth and power sharing between the South and North in the central government, data on availability of safe drinking water by providing information on sources of water supply particularly in the south, data on the existing sanitary conditions hence providing the necessary information needed for future improvement.
But as the citizens and their government are reluctant, how possible is it to obtain information for good result?
The Author can be reached at [email protected]