Census against inclusivity

THE first census in over three decades is being conducted jointly by the government of Myanmar and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to gather information about a population that is anything but homogenous. Though the government estimates that there are 135 ethnic groups in the country, the main ethnic groups debate that classification. Respondents have been asked to identify themselves into one of those categories. No one contends the need for a census that is a prerequisite for planning on any sector. What has the Burmese irked is the question about “race”. In a country as culturally and ethnically divided as Myanmar, the census has sparked off fear about being left out of the development process deliberately.
It is not just the Rohingyas who fear disenfranchisement. Many large ethnic groups like the Kachin, Shan and Chin were not consulted prior to the preparation of the census. Indeed, many human rights activists believe that the categories on race are inaccurate and fail to identify sub groups in large ethnic groups. As pointed out by The Economist “There are 53 Chin subgroups on the list, for instance, many of which the Chin themselves do not acknowledge, raising old suspicions that the census results will be used by the Burmans to keep the Chin politically divided and thus weaker. Moreover, the Chin list includes groups that are not Chin at all, such as the Naga and Meithei.”
The problem does not end there. Indeed, the millions of mixed race people living within the borders of Myanmar have also effectively been left out of the count. What is disturbing to note is that UNFPA is onboard despite having given repeated assurances that the Rohingya would be allowed to identify themselves by that name. That Arakan State officials have asked Muslim leaders in Sittwe to ask followers not to identify their “race” is bound to fail. Rather the census will in probability foster greater ethnic friction over the questionnaire. Carrying out the census in its present form will result in lumping ethnic groups in with other minorities while others complain of being left out altogether.
But the most worrying part of the census is the way it has categorically sought to brand Rohingyas as “foreigners”. That this large group has borne the brunt of reprisals launched against it by the dominant “Burman” Buddhist majority is a documented fact. Since, 2012, hundreds have been killed and about 240,000 have been driven from their homes. What is disturbing to note is that the government has taken into consideration the demand of the nationalistic rightwing demand of Burmans that the census excludes any mention of Rohingya as an ethnic group. Out of a population of 60million, official estimates put the Rohingya numbering at 4million; unofficially that number is 8million, or more than 10 per cent of total population.
Myanmar has seen an escalation of racist attacks on the community since 2010 and census appears to be the latest attempt at rooting out, what Buddhist supremacists like to propagate that the country has no place for Muslim ethnicities. Being left out of the census will have far reaching consequences for every community living in the country. With Myanmar moving away from decades of military rule to civilian control, billions are pouring in to develop key institutions like health, education, legal and tax sectors. The census will provide key data that will drive institutional change to meet demands of the population. Being left out is simply not an option – not from socio-economic or political angles. Given that precious time and financial resources have been expended and the necessary army of schoolteachers, some 100,000 of them mobilised to carry out the census, reforming the format of the questionnaire is the need of the hour.
Unless it is the intention of the State to move ahead with its narrow interpretation of which ethnic group ought to have a right to residency, people should have the opportunity to register multiple identities. Forced marginalisation will not bring stability to Myanmar. That has been proven by decades of conflict with the Kachin and Shan ethnic minorities. Disenfranchising the Rohingya with claims that they are Bengali immigrants and now a flawed census which will deny them the right to identify as an ethnic group altogether is seen by most as the first step in forcing their mass exodus from the country. The census to be carried out in its present form will make matters much worse than before.
As summed up by the International Crisis Group “There is still time to adjust the process by limiting the census to just the key demographic questions on age, sex and marital status – that is, the first six questions on the census form. This will provide the most important data without touching at this stage on the controversial issues of identity and citizenship. The limited technical complication of adjusting the process pales into insignificance when placed against the much larger risk – to the very fabric of Myanmar society at this delicate stage in the country's transition – of proceeding with the current, ill-thought-out process.”

The writer is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star.