BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE
THE challenge is to breach the existing gap between the government and its people through effective communication strategies.
Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela expressed this yesterday whilst speaking at the government communication officers’ workshop held at the Iron Bottom Sound Hotel.
In earlier remarks, he stressed that providing information for the public is indeed a challenge and emphasised to the communication officers that the public is the main consumer of information.
The Prime Minister also shed light on the three day workshop’s theme “Breaching the government with people through effective communication” and added that the theme reflects the importance of communication between inter-government departments and divisions.
He said that the theme recognises the existing gap between the government and its people while embodying the fundamental challenge the government is facing of which is to breach that gap through effective communication strategies.
“I believe that only through effective dissemination of information we can be able to breach this gap and it has to be done through the various media platforms,” said Prime Minister Hou.
On another note, he briefly touched on important functions of the government communications noting that it is important that they are understood.
Prime Minister Houenipwela explained that there are three significant functions with the first settling on ensuring that citizens are informed of the government’s policies and programmes.
The second he adds is that a platform for advocacy for government policies and reforms is provided and the third function is to effectively engage citizens.
Addressing the various ministerial communication officers present at the workshop, he strongly stated that they play an important role in the government, most especially in safeguarding democracy and achieving social economic development at all levels of our society.
“As such discharging your duties to the best of your abilities enables our people to make well informed decisions on matters that will have an impact on their daily lives,” said Prime Minister Hou.
