Leadership of NSOs in Developing and LDCs in Asia-Pacific Region

Leadership of NSOs in LDCs and Developing Countries of Asia-Pacific
By: Jousairi Hasbullah

There are at least four characteristics of the institution of NSOs in Developing and LDCs of the Asia-Pacific: inward looking, weak in management and leadership, weak role and positioning of the institutions and, weak knowledges of social changes occuring in the societies.

Traditionally NSOs served only limited data consumers: government planner, small group of university researhers, and other limited number of others. The way of presenting data and indicators were very out of date by printing thick publication, displaying complicated statistical formula which were hardly been understood by non statistician, and very limited effort of promotion. The work was too inward looking.
On the otherhand the world changes very fast. Public being poured by data produced by either NGOs,companies or private research institutions.

The work done with a routine way. Its nature was very linear: preparing questionaire, field guide book, training for trainers and enumerators, data collection, processing and data publications. NSOs look like an isolated institution. This way of doing work lead to weak capacity of management and visioner leadership. NSOs staffs are strong in understanding statistics, but very weak in adapting with the new world, new era, new challenges and new public demands.

The limitations mentioned lead to the weaknesses of the roles and position of NSOs. In several countries in the region, the position of NSOs below the ministerial level which lead to the difficulty of NSO's high rank officials to strongly engage in equal position, with high rank stakeholders. As a consequence, statistics principles: professional, independence, impartiality, confidentiality and professional standard and ethics could not fully be achieved.
All NSOs in developing and LDCs in the region should give a great effort to transform their institution to be of more outward looking, affiliated with all segment of civil societies, strong engagement with media and with all government senior stakeholders. This can be achieved if NSOs  headed by strong leadership with strong attention of the importance of the balance between statistics, changing external environment and leadership mastery.
JSHcenter.
Bandung.27 June 2018
Jousairi Hasbullah

Indonesia'Diverse Ethnicity

Jousairi Hasbullah:
In term of ethnicity, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese consists of 40% of the total population. 

The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java but millions have migrated to other islands throughout the 34 provinces as a result of the transmigration program during Soeharto era.

In every 100 Indonesian, there are 40 javaneses, 15 sundaneses, 4 malays, 4 Batak, 3 madureses, 3 Betawi and 3 Minangkabau. 

I my self came from a very small ethnic group named as Komering in South Sumatera. This ethnic only rank 41th out of more than 300 ethnicities in Indonesia. Total population of Komering are of around 370 119( Indonesian Census, 2010)

Jousairi Hasbullah
June 19, 2018

Data Revolution, Big Data and Statistical Standard

Jousairi Hasbullah,
The Challenges for NSOs in poor countries of the Asia and the Pacifics:

Data revolution is a world's sudden explosion: data is bigger, faster, and more complex than ever. Data providers not only come from National Statistical Offices (NSOs) but also from many other sources as a result of advancement in technologies and the huge transformation of "internet of things".
On the other side: there have been growing demand for various kinds of data from various segments, dimensions and levels of the societies.

Some people in especially more develop countries have already been living in the new world of data, but those who live in the developing countries are not. Some countries are already using rich and abundant quality statistics for life, for enhancing their quality of life, but most of the people in the south of the hemisphere are still been excluded.

What should be done by all of the NSOs in the region: Asia-Pacific Region is that of how to provide data as many types as possible by incorporating data produced by NSOs and those produced by other sources. We should integrate NSOs data and the New Types of data/ Big Data.

Data produced by NSOs should be more in volumes, types and its relevance to the need of the people. Data also should be brought closer and used by the public. This is certainly not easy for less developing countries. The first challenge is that of how to inrease the volume of available data. It means all of LDCs countries should conduct a regular, annually, national socio-economic survey as a basis of all social data. The result of the survey can be used as a data base for using statistical models to estimate variables on small area statistics.

There are also challenges for NSOs to provide data which reflects the people'perception toward their life: happiness, loneliness, wellbeing, their satisfaction, their perception toward government servises and many other types of subjective based data which should be available in addition to objective based approach data.
All types of data produced by NSOs should be disaggregated, focussed on the need of people which reflect what is important to support people's life, people'existence and people'right.

The abundant volume of data is not enough..data should be brought to the people, understand by all people. It is a time for all NSOs in the region to move forward, to shift old paradigm which are of more "inward looking" concentrate on the traditional ways of how to conduct data collection, to more "outward looking" communicate, engage, and affiliate with the people. Close relationship with media is of high priority. All of the statistician work with NSOs should give high attention to the important of writing with using people' language, not an isolated statistical languages. Writing article for news paper should be part of all statistical cinducts.

In the era of big data, data revolution, all NSS/NSOs  should adapt to the new sources of data including administrative data from other line ministries and government institutions. But, in using administrative data in almost all developing countries Asia Pacific, we have to be very careful. No developng countries in the region which have good administrative data. Data available of a very poor quality and unstandardised in term of ststistics point of view.
Most administrative data produced by government agencies have no clear concept, definitiin, time, and method of data collection. The data available is not statistics.

Based on what have been mentioned, all of NSOs should be aware of the revolution in the volume of data available. This is in one point as an oportunities for enriching data, but on the otherhand we have to be aware of the important of data qualities.

On the train from Yogyakarta to Bandung
21 of June 2018
Jousairi Hasbullah.

Independence of NSOs, Statistics Office Asia-Pacific

Jousairi Hasbullah:
In the Asia-Pacific Region there are still many statistical office which are not fucntionally independent. They are suffering from vulnerability in relation to political pressure and interest group influence.

This situation exists due to the lack of political support, not robust statistical law/regulation. Some, their organization structure under or as a subordinate of such line ministry. There are some statistical offices give report to minister of planning or even: minister of finance. This situation is not only describing a weak institution of statistics, but also this is a tragedy of the lifeblood of statistics: independent, impartiality, objectivity, and autonomy.

Statistics-data statistics-should be of high quality: objective. It means should be produce through scientific and independent process, and disseminate, communicate and interprete objectively and free from any intervention.

There is no other choices but all countries in Asia-pacific should be strengthened and ensure they are fucntionally autonomous by boosting them as well as all government in the region to have robust law on statistics which guarantee that all NSOs only give responsibility to the highest leaders of respective country.
Jousairi Hasbullah
Hotel greenhost. Prawirotaman.brontokusuman.Yogyakarta 19 june 2018.

All Statistics Office Should Aware

Jousairi Hasbullah:
We always discuss about quality data. We all struggle to produce quality data, but we always do not aware of the fundamental issues related to how data we produce can enhance the legitimacy, credibility, and trust. This is the importance of good and smart communication strategy to convince our community, our people about our quality data.

We always neglect of what has been mention in UN Principle 4: "the statistical agencies are entitle to comment on erroneus interpretation and misuse of statistics"
Jousairi Hasbullah
Hotel 101 Yogyakarta
18 June 2018

Inclusive Statistician

Jousairi Hasbullah:
We are now entering a new world of information. Unfortunately what we call as information actually is not information and is not knowledge. Information could be regarded as a knowledge if it come from a complex mechanism involving scientific process.

We are witnessing the world poured with data and information but no scientific basis. Sometime, data created based on "shaky methodology" can be quoted and put it as scientific evidence. On the other hand, information with no clear sources quoted in the public debate especially through social media.  Information is spread like a virus. Even, true quality data can be misinterpreted by the public even by senior officials ..this types of error of what we call as "mutant" Statistics.

Dealing with this situation, all statistician around the world should go to the people, to the public, hand in hand to reach as many people as possible to educate them againts the ignorance"virus of information".
But..all statistician should shift their isolated behaviour:exclusive tobe more inclusive.
We should bring data relevant to the need of the people, present in a way people can easily understand..and use language coherent with people' habitual behaviour, people'culture, and people'interest. This is what I do call as Inclusive Statistician.
Jousairi Hasbullah
Hotel 101 Yogyakarta 18 June 20182

Istanbul Declaration: Enhancing Role of Statistics

Jousairi Hasbullah
Quoted from presentation of Enrico Geovannini. September 2008.
1. A culture of evidence-based decision making has to be promote at all levels of government, to increase the welfare of societies.
2. It should be a global commitment to measuring and fostering the progress of societies in all their dimensions and to supporting initiatives at the country level.
3.We do urge Statistical Offices, Public and Private organization, and academic expert to work alongside representstives of their communities to produce high quality, fact based information that can be used by all societies to form a shared view of societal well-being and its evolution over time.
To take this work forward it is a need:
1. Encourage communities to consider for themselves  what progress means.
2. Share best practices and increase the awareness of the need to do so using sound and reliable methodologies.
3.Stimulate international debate based on solid statistical data and indicators on both global issues of societal progress and comparison of such progress.
4.Produce a broader , shared, public understanding of changing conditions, while highlightening areas of significan change or inadequate knowledge.
5.advocate appropriate investment in building statistical capacity especially in developing countries.
Jousairi Hasbullah
Yogyakarta. 17 June 2018

New Roles of Statistician

Jousairi Hasbullah:

All statistician in the world who involve in the production of official statistics must be aware of their (our) new role in facilitating knowledge based society. 

Data we produce are fundamental for modern democracies. Public,politician, schoolars, need official statistics. All decisions made should be based on data as a knowledge base.

Based on the argument mentioned, all statistician who in charge of producing official statistics should play a great effort in bringing statistical information to the public. This is important. All people should know where the country stands in order to understand where we have to go.

All world statistician -on official statistics- have to enhance our role in helping politician, public and all citizen to understand data. The meaning of what behind the data. This is the new roles of modern statisticians who live in the era of modern democratic society.

Jousairi Hasbullah

16 of June 2018

Enhancing Quality of Public Debate

Jousairi Hasbullah:
The main characteristics of public debate among Indonesian politician and development observers is that lack of capacity and understanding of the need of using "evidence" based on good quality data.
Public debate dominated by form of intelectually dishonest  debate by dishonest politicians, intelectuals or observers. The debater prefer to use slogan, rhetoric rather than using evidence based on trusted data or indicators.
In the era of modern society, to assess the limitatation or the success of the policies should be based on the evidence gained from a good data quality produced by National Statistical Offices (NSOs) or by reputable research institutions.
Data produced by Statistical Offices can be used as a base of common knowledge of the social, economic and welfare characteristics. These characteristics  can be compared overtime, with other countries or between region within each country.
Unfortunately, most of the public debate -in case of Indonesia for instance avoiding to used statistical data and indicators. They prefer as I mentioned above, to use verbal language, slogan, rhetoric and even illusion. This situation exists due to the poor knowlege of the world of data. Data illiteracy. With these circumstances, all official statisticians actually face a great challenges in not only providing relevant and accurate data but also in communicating, vaccinating, and educating the nation of the important role of statistical data.
Jousairi Hasbullah
6 June 2018.

Transforming NSOs in Asia Pacific

Jousairi Hasbullah:
According to Regional Steering Group (RSG) in population and social Statistics Asia and the Pacific, in order to transform National Statistical Office in Asia and Pacific into more effective, relevance, and more productive in producing Social Statistics, all NSOs/NSS should work at least with  frame work consist of 3 goals:
1. How NSOs could maintain and enhance close relation with stakeholders especially line ministries. NSO should be able to enhance well coordinated policy environment, closely engaging with senior stakeholders on the basis of mutual respect. NSOs could assist stakeholders in identifying and prioritazing data and information needs.  In this case it is of great benefit for government for identifying the need for inclusive social development if using a generic tool what we call as equiframe.
Equiframe is a framework evaluating the degree of commitment of the existing policy toward 21 concept of human right and 12 concepts of vulnerability-vulnerable group-
Why NSOs and stakeholders should give attention of using equiframe?

It is quite difficult for every country achieving SDGs and inclusive development target without fully giving attention to vulnerable group. NSOs should provide data in relation to vulnerable group..data should be disaggregated by the degree of vulnerability and human rights. This is the intrinsic meaning of inclusive development.

2.in order to make NSOs in Asia and the Pacific tobe more robust, it is a need to seriously strengthen production of various types and dimension of social statistics in order to overcome national,provincial and regency/districs level data gaps. For this point, the most severe problems facing by the most NSOs in developing countries in the region is the lack of data resulted from regular survey. We can not  apply statistical method to estimating variables for data disaggregation up to small areas without availability of data based from survey or census.

3.it is of great challenges for every NSO to bring data closer to the public by enhancing accessibility and use of data. Regarding the use of data, NSOs should be able-strong ability-to educate the government and the public of the intrinsic meaning of every indicators produced by NSOs. This would be possible if NSOs leaders and staff have a strong capability in writing, in communicating and in forming a good and productive networking.
Jousairi hasbullah
16 June 2018.

Transforming Indonesia into Evidence Based Societies

What we need for Indonesia now is how to shift from verbal culture society into evidence based society. Data should be placed in the center of every decision making, to compare the process, outcomes and changes in the society overtime within the country or even between countries.

Now the world has been poured by data following what we call as data revolution.
According to IAEG (Independent Expert Advisory Group) on Data Revolution, around 90 percent of data available in the world has been produced in the last 2 years. Fantastic.

Data in the most recent times are not only important to provide information describing the real situation of the life of people, but also data should be transformed as s lifeblood of every decision-making, for accountability, for every development dialog, for monitoring the progress of development. We now need more diverse quality data (BPS-Statistics Indonesia has produced abundant-rich types of data) as a trustworthy information which can be used for many purposes including as a source for real-time people-government dialog.

One of the great challenges for Indonesia today, data available has already been used by central government but not by civil society. There has been a huge gap between development observer in most developed countries and in the developing countries. For the first, every dialog, criticism and discourse based on data as a basis for people-government dialog. With data, quality data, which underpined every evaluation, the level of understanding of the problem and alternative strategy/solution could be produced. Data has been put in the center of every development observation and evaluation.

For the second, local government, development observer, development reader, are still lag behind in using and understanding data. There are suffering from world of data. They are data illiteracy. This is the real situation of Indonesia today. Many politician, observer, civil society give critics to government without any rasional basis..this situation not only unproductive but also dangerous. The media including social media poured by disinformation, hatred or even defamation. Low quality of civil society.

What Indonesia needs today is more of data based society, evidence based society, and data literacy society for more productive government-civil society partnership.

Jousairi Hasbullah
16 June 2018.