President Jokowi: Reliable Data is Key to Success of Development

President Jokowi gives his directives at the Launching of the Implementation of the 2020 Population Census, at the State Palace Jakarta, Friday (24/1). (Photo by: Jay/PR)

Reliable data is the key to the success of a country’s development since accurate data is of particular importance, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.

“Data has become a new type of wealth. Data is also now the new oil and even more valuable than oil,” the President said in his remarks at the Launching of the Implementation of the 2020 Population Census at the State Palace, Jakarta, Friday (24/1).

Data accuracy, according to the President, is also of particular importance to formulate the right plans, to make the right decisions, and to execute the right programs.

“Do not you dare to make plans and execute programs unless you hold data,” the President said, while acknowledging that he often contacts Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) when in doubt and it took less than one hour until the data is provided.

For the record, the Government is set to conduct a decennial population census in February to update data on the country’s demographics.

In an unprecedented move, the people can opt to complete the census online this year rather than wait for BPS officials to come to their homes. The people can log on to the official census website www.bps.go.id to fill out their basic data such as name, place of residence and nationality, among 19 other types of data gathered by the agency.

The online census will be carried out between Feb. 15 and March 31.

“Population data is the basic data needed to make plans in various fields. Data from the 2020 Population Census will not only be useful for making current plans, but also for making projections until 2050,” the President said.

According to the President, Indonesia’s population is now at 267 million and it is estimated that, it will reach 319 million by 2045.

“It means that growth is not fast; yet there should be no population growth because we need productivity. In Europe, many couples are now reluctant to have children,” the President said, adding that Indonesia has set priority programs to take full advantage of the so-called demographic bonus.

If Indonesia can take advantage of this demographic bonus by upgrading human capital, the demographic bonus will become the country’s strength, the President added. (FID/EN)

Translated by: Muhardi

Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas