The ethnic representatives from Kachin, Shan, Palau, Kayah, Mon, Kayin, Rakhine, Chin, Naga and Bamar had in the week prior to the meeting called for a postponed of the upcoming Myanmar census due to sensitivity related to the official listing of Myanmar’s135 ethnic groups.
According to the current list stemming back from the 1983 census which officially recognize ethnic groups under eight major national ethnic races; Kachin, Kayah, Karen Kayin, Chin, Barmar, Mon, Rakhine and Shan, several ethnic sub-groups which does not figure on the list have openly objected to their ethnicities being listed as distinct groups, claiming that it would hinder on-going peace talks.
H.E. Khin Yi, Minister for Immigration and Population emphasized that he greatly valued the views of the ethnic groups and that it was too late to change the coding on the questionnaires. He acknowledged that talks on ethnicity needed to be intensified post-census in order to ensure that all views were being heard and that close cooperation with all parties were instrumental. “Let’s all sit down and discuss who to take out and who to add.”
The Minister gave a thorough presentation on the census preparations. In his presentation he addressed the importance of the census, how it is going to be conducted and how the data collected will be used, including that all data will be kept confidential. He also emphasized that it had been more than 30 years since Myanmar last conducted such an exercise and that the data collected would be critical for the country in terms of identifying priorities and allocating funds to improve key areas such as healthcare and education.
He also pointed out that he had been actively engaging in meetings around the country with all key stakeholders, including 64 political parties, civil society organisations as well as armed groups.
Ms. Janet Jackson, UNFPA Myanmar Representative stated that census is a “very important exercise as it will help put the record straight by uniting all persons living in Myanmar. The census will help build foundations to help push forward ongoing reforms and ultimately shaping the future development of Myanmar.” She also reiterated that the International Technical Advisory Board (ITAB) had found that the census preparations were adhering to international standards.
On the issue of ethnicity Ms. Jackson said that it was a human right for everyone to self-identify their ethnicity, either from the list of 135 official ethnicities or by describing their own ethnicity. “This includes those that wish to identify with mixed-ethnicity. Enumerators are trained to ensure that you will have this chance,” said Ms. Jackson.
The census count will take place from Midnight 29th March to 10 April 2014.
