We in this space have been ardent supporters of the timeliness of the completion of the 2022 Population and Housing Census.

It is impatient of debate that the data captured from such activity is crucial to informing the national planning process, which impacts, in an extremely significant way, the availability of resources, in the appropriate quantum, at the right time, and with effective distribution.

The days of mismatch and incongruity in the management of the nation’s resources, in service of the ‘regular’ Jamaican, should be behind us. The absence of reliable and up-to-date data drags this proud nation into the backveld.

The challenges of serving all Jamaica through the organs of “the system” were laid bare as the country battled the restrictions imposed by the novel coronavirus pandemic. At the root of the problem was the absence of up-to-date and accurate demographics and information. The result was that aid and supplies — made available by the generosity of fellow men and outside well-wishers — could barely get to the homes and mouths that truly needed them.

We have heard the reports of shortage of work teams, poor remuneration, and administrative glitches having hamstrung the process, but we would have expected by now that those in charge would have administered the necessary countermeasures to treat with these obstacles.

To hear from Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) head Carol Coy, at Tuesday’s press briefing, that no new end date has been set to wrap the data collection phase of the census must disturb all well-thinking Jamaicans.

The original end date was March 31, 2023 and this phase has been stalled for too long for there not to be an action plan in place to get this most important task completed.

In January of this year the country was advised by the director general that the issues were being capably handled. It is, therefore, reasonable for the country to now demand news of an improved state of affairs.

No one should ever underestimate the magnitude of an exercise such as this, with concerns for the wide area and the multiplicity of moving parts, but the requisite skill, knowledge, and experience ought to be resident at Statin to manage the process and get the work done.

Long have we supported the steady hand Ms Coy has held at Statin since her ascent to its leadership in 2013, and on this, the eve of her departure, it is hoped her career is not marred by a problem that clearly demands management. Because, in much the same way we would have hailed her for its success, any failing of the process will be placed equally at her feet — and that of Mrs Leesha Delatie-Budair, deputy director general.

Nonetheless, all Jamaica stands in support of the charge laid out by Ms Coy at the recent press conference that “the reliability of the population count will not be compromised”. In this she has the strength of the nation, but a process such as this will have an increased margin of error if not done in an efficient way.

Too much is at stake for this to go on untamed.

Too much has already been channelled and funded into this exercise to not see it successfully completed.

A census is one of the features of social research performed by any respectable State. This task is not beyond us. Let’s get it done!