Effective government communication

The comments by RaiUno presenter Massimo Giletti during Domenica In – L’Arena last Sunday, saying that Malta was shooting at immigrants, has highlighted the crucial need for the continuous dissemination of high-quality information by the Maltese government both in Malta and abroad. Unless this is done, situations like the one mentioned are bound to arise every now and then and the damage inflicted on our country’s image and reputation is bound to be far from negligible.

At present, the volatile situation in the Mediterranean makes it imperative that the Maltese government informs both its citizens and those of foreign countries about the rationale behind its every action. Anybody who regularly surfs the internet can vouch for the fact that many people are uninformed about the position of Malta with regard to what is happening in Libya and other parts of the Arab world. Worse than this, there are people who are convinced that Malta is right in the middle of a war zone. I have seen dialogue on some travel websites where people are expressing their concern about the situation in Malta, unaware that the local situation is far removed from that prevailing in North Africa. Such uninformed comments can have serious, damaging effects on our tourism industry.

This is where effective government communication of information comes in. The immediate and strong official reaction to what Mr Giletti stated augurs well for the future but such interventions need to become the order of the day. At a time when facts and fiction are becoming inextricably mixed up in the present international crisis, it is vital that a small country like ours will be prompt to explain its decisions and actions, especially to our European Union partners. If we want burden sharing in the immigration problem, for instance, we have to ensure that our position is clearly explained and understood by those on whom we depend for help.

The Maltese government also has to explain in a better and more professional manner certain reforms which it initiates domestically. Otherwise, one need not be baffled at the amount of criticism of certain reforms in various areas of the Administration. Ineffective communication means that certain measures are sometimes viewed with scepticism and suspicion by the stakeholders involved and by members of the public. More effective communication by the government would help to ensure that this is not the case. It makes a great difference when citizens feel the government really cares about them and will do its utmost to keep them regularly informed about all developments in the administration of the country. When citizens do not understand the rationale behind certain decisions and actions, their sense of alienation from their own government is bound to increase.

There is a great difference between imposition and consultation. Good governance entails explaining a desired course of action to the people, asking for feedback, communicating the government’s evaluation of such feedback and its impact on the decisions and actions to be taken. This is genuine consultation. Imposition, on the other hand, is when a government decides and acts without consulting the people. One can also have the case of ineffective communication which reduces consultation to imposition in the eyes of the people simply because communication is ineffective and, therefore, worthless.

The quality of every government communication is, thus, absolutely crucial. It is important to avoid press releases and reports that use technical jargon which is unintelligible to the public. Effective communication means making sure the message being transmitted can be understood both by the expert as well as the layman.

It is in the national interest to base both our country’s foreign policy and our domestic one on effective communication. Without it, misunderstandings and other negative repercussions are bound to be the order of the day.