Pakistan's FSB has 40 people and 1 computer
Business Recorder
Get serious about statistics
EDITORIAL (May 29 2006): When there is a will to implement a decision at the top, progress towards it (though still slow by private sector standards) is fast. Otherwise, the 'file' moves at a snail's pace. For an illustration, the restructuring of the country's statistical system, instead of being placed on fast track, has become a victim of the listless trend.
For years there has been all round criticism of the data collection methodology as well as the credibility of government statistics. Responding to the criticism and realising the shortcomings of the existing system, the decision to restructure the system was taken a year ago.
Approval was accorded to a proposal to reorganise and make the statistical system more responsive to national requirements with increased autonomy as a pre-requisite to enhancement in its credibility. To have better co-ordination and also ensure more acceptability it was also decided that the new set-up, comprising Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), Population Census Organisation (PCO) and Agriculture Census Organisation, be merged with the statistical division of the Ministry of Finance to create an autonomous Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). However, all the planning is still on paper awaiting action, while the downward drift continues.
Usually public cynicism was focused on inflation figures. Failure to change the base year every 10 years in fact lowered the annual growth numbers. Using a 20 years old base figure instead of 10 leads to inconsistency and wrong comparison. Since September 2005, FBS has not released Large Scale Manufacturing figures, says the SBP's quarterly report. Obviously, there is no serious attempt to knock doors and obtain production figures.
Analysts in the brokerage firms are doing a better job at collating sectorial data for LSM.
At a seminar organised by the Central Bank, of data providers and data users, the officers of FBS painted a dismal picture of the organisation. For 26 years, dozens of statisticians have remained in the same grade. In comparable time a section officer climbs promotional ladder to become an Additional Secretary. There is neither pay nor pride in the job.
FBS has lost more than 50 percent of its statistician who were in Grade 17, due to meagre resources, and is now a headless organisation, with 18 officers using only one computer (PC). It is without a Director-General since the retirement N.A. Larik. Directors who were empowered to release monthly and quarterly data are not allowed to do so. There were 146 persons in the National Accounts Office in 1986.
Now it has only 40 which includes support staff such as peons and sweepers. No pride nor respect has resulted in turning the Statistics Division into a parking lot for the discard in the bureaucracy. Nine secretaries in 10 years tells the whole picture.
The law requires all citizens and companies to provide the demanded data, on time and accurately, to the relevant federal and provincial statistical bodies without manipulation or demur. The confidentiality of the submitted returns is guaranteed. Hindrance attracts penal provisions such as fines and even jail term under the existing law. Trade bodies are providing their production figures to the Ministry of Industries regularly. CBR has the sales tax, excise and customs monthly receipts of the same companies.
FBS has only to do the patchwork between the two sets of production data. Further, why are the provincial industries departments sitting on their haunches? Somebody, needs to kick them to do their duty as required by law to collect the production figures. Inadequate data leads to faulty conclusions. It hinders proper planning. We are now linked to the outside world with Pakistan dollar bonds trading abroad.
International creditors are cruel with those who do not provide accurate and timely data about the performance of the economy.
Changing the name to PBS will not improve the quality of statistics being collated. Inducting professionally qualified persons and empowering them to overhaul and restructure the statistical system to collect data and undertake surveys at the national level to measure our success or failure is needed. The data base and data collection points must be large enough to truly reflect the national picture - good or bad. Timely release of accurate data virtually obliges both government and private entities to take correct economic decisions to the benefit of the economy at large.
Get serious about statistics
EDITORIAL (May 29 2006): When there is a will to implement a decision at the top, progress towards it (though still slow by private sector standards) is fast. Otherwise, the 'file' moves at a snail's pace. For an illustration, the restructuring of the country's statistical system, instead of being placed on fast track, has become a victim of the listless trend.
For years there has been all round criticism of the data collection methodology as well as the credibility of government statistics. Responding to the criticism and realising the shortcomings of the existing system, the decision to restructure the system was taken a year ago.
Approval was accorded to a proposal to reorganise and make the statistical system more responsive to national requirements with increased autonomy as a pre-requisite to enhancement in its credibility. To have better co-ordination and also ensure more acceptability it was also decided that the new set-up, comprising Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), Population Census Organisation (PCO) and Agriculture Census Organisation, be merged with the statistical division of the Ministry of Finance to create an autonomous Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). However, all the planning is still on paper awaiting action, while the downward drift continues.
Usually public cynicism was focused on inflation figures. Failure to change the base year every 10 years in fact lowered the annual growth numbers. Using a 20 years old base figure instead of 10 leads to inconsistency and wrong comparison. Since September 2005, FBS has not released Large Scale Manufacturing figures, says the SBP's quarterly report. Obviously, there is no serious attempt to knock doors and obtain production figures.
Analysts in the brokerage firms are doing a better job at collating sectorial data for LSM.
At a seminar organised by the Central Bank, of data providers and data users, the officers of FBS painted a dismal picture of the organisation. For 26 years, dozens of statisticians have remained in the same grade. In comparable time a section officer climbs promotional ladder to become an Additional Secretary. There is neither pay nor pride in the job.
FBS has lost more than 50 percent of its statistician who were in Grade 17, due to meagre resources, and is now a headless organisation, with 18 officers using only one computer (PC). It is without a Director-General since the retirement N.A. Larik. Directors who were empowered to release monthly and quarterly data are not allowed to do so. There were 146 persons in the National Accounts Office in 1986.
Now it has only 40 which includes support staff such as peons and sweepers. No pride nor respect has resulted in turning the Statistics Division into a parking lot for the discard in the bureaucracy. Nine secretaries in 10 years tells the whole picture.
The law requires all citizens and companies to provide the demanded data, on time and accurately, to the relevant federal and provincial statistical bodies without manipulation or demur. The confidentiality of the submitted returns is guaranteed. Hindrance attracts penal provisions such as fines and even jail term under the existing law. Trade bodies are providing their production figures to the Ministry of Industries regularly. CBR has the sales tax, excise and customs monthly receipts of the same companies.
FBS has only to do the patchwork between the two sets of production data. Further, why are the provincial industries departments sitting on their haunches? Somebody, needs to kick them to do their duty as required by law to collect the production figures. Inadequate data leads to faulty conclusions. It hinders proper planning. We are now linked to the outside world with Pakistan dollar bonds trading abroad.
International creditors are cruel with those who do not provide accurate and timely data about the performance of the economy.
Changing the name to PBS will not improve the quality of statistics being collated. Inducting professionally qualified persons and empowering them to overhaul and restructure the statistical system to collect data and undertake surveys at the national level to measure our success or failure is needed. The data base and data collection points must be large enough to truly reflect the national picture - good or bad. Timely release of accurate data virtually obliges both government and private entities to take correct economic decisions to the benefit of the economy at large.
posted by India News Watch at 9:17 AM
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