DOUGLAS Kimi who is the Government Statistician is now the new 2019 National Census Commissioner.
Caretaker Prime Minister Rick Hou officially announced this on Monday as the country is heading towards the next National Census in November.
He said the announcement was made in accordance to the Census Act (Chapter 53).
“I now invoke Section 2 – relating to the ‘Order directing taking of census and appointing Census Commissioner’ and in compliance with the recent Cabinet Conclusion C 39th [2018] 177 dated 12/12/18 which endorsed the conduct of the 2019 Census in November 2019, endorsed the appointment of Douglas Kimi to be the Census Commissioner,” he added.
He announced the appointment of Mr Kimi as the Census Commissioner for the whole duration of the 2019 Census Project and he will be responsible for the planning and conduct of the 2019 Census.
Hou said the announcement is consistent with past census appointments.
He said Kimi will assume the Census Commissioner role while also conducting his substantive position as Government Statistician.
“I am very confident Mr Kimi will manage both these responsibilities well. Being the Census Commissioner in the 2009 Census Mr Kimi brings solid experience, technical leadership and management qualities required by this position,” he said.
In his response, Kimi said he is very honoured and humbled not only to accept the announcement of my appointment but to applaud the announcement for the conduct of the 2019 National Population and Housing Census (“2019 Census”) and the execution of the census by the Census Office of the NSO within the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.
“May I sincerely thank you Caretaker PM, for taking your time to officiate on this occasion, given your very busy schedule and electoral commitments,” he said.
Kimi said the official announcements by the Mr Hou now entrusts the government through the Census Office of the NSO, Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT), to officially and legally (in line Census Act (Chap 53) and the Statistics Act) enforce the preparation towards the implementation of the 2019 Census under the leadership of the Census Commissioner.
“As mentioned by the Caretaker PM, the formal launch of the Census Project itself and the official announcement of the actual census date in November 2019 will be done by the incoming Prime Minister or his representative by June 2019 immediately after the formation of the new government,” he added.
He said the 2019 Census will be the first census undertaken in the post-recovery period after the civil unrest faced in our nation.
“It will also be the 6th census undertaken since the census of 1970 but this will be the 4th Census since independence.
“In line with our United Nations obligations and statistical best-practise, come November 2019, we will exactly meet the 10 year inter-censal period for conducting another census,” he added.
By IAN M.KAUKUI
