Importance of media for better governance
Sunday, 20 July 2008
THE caretaker government has been stressing right from the start that it valued the media as it can learn from it many things for good governance. Whether the government's action matched its words regarding the press is another matter.
But it should be very easy for an Adviser or a Secretary to take action to solve the problems that the citizens or countrymen face. It could improve the situation in these areas. But it is not happening because the secretaries and advisers do not probably pay much attention to what the media as a whole reports about the activities or performance of their departments or ministries.
Therefore, the secretaries and advisers, who really have public service in mind, should do well to advise their personal secretaries to restructure their mind-set. The personal secretaries need to be asked to prepare paper clippings of newspaper reports and comments about the departments and ministries on a regular basis and to place them to the secretaries and advisers for scrutiny. The secretaries and advisers themselves should develop the habit of reading six, seven or more newspapers every-day and also of watching cable television regularly.
This would provide them with a great deal of information about the field-level experiences of people in their interactions with their departments and ministries. It can be of immense value in redressing grievances, taking corrective measures or introducing new policies.
Everyday, the media in Bangladesh produces a large number of investigative reports on corruption, underperformance in government organisations and other ills. But hardly any corrective steps are taken by the government. Therefore, a system should be devised so that the senior officials need to know the media reports and comments on their departments. They must be obliged to take swift action in response to these reports and comments. The government must care to take the feedback from the media and respond to them swiftly and adequately. If this is done, then the media would be playing a valuable, pro-active role in helping to improve governance.
Enayet Karim
Baridhara
Dhaka
But it should be very easy for an Adviser or a Secretary to take action to solve the problems that the citizens or countrymen face. It could improve the situation in these areas. But it is not happening because the secretaries and advisers do not probably pay much attention to what the media as a whole reports about the activities or performance of their departments or ministries.
Therefore, the secretaries and advisers, who really have public service in mind, should do well to advise their personal secretaries to restructure their mind-set. The personal secretaries need to be asked to prepare paper clippings of newspaper reports and comments about the departments and ministries on a regular basis and to place them to the secretaries and advisers for scrutiny. The secretaries and advisers themselves should develop the habit of reading six, seven or more newspapers every-day and also of watching cable television regularly.
This would provide them with a great deal of information about the field-level experiences of people in their interactions with their departments and ministries. It can be of immense value in redressing grievances, taking corrective measures or introducing new policies.
Everyday, the media in Bangladesh produces a large number of investigative reports on corruption, underperformance in government organisations and other ills. But hardly any corrective steps are taken by the government. Therefore, a system should be devised so that the senior officials need to know the media reports and comments on their departments. They must be obliged to take swift action in response to these reports and comments. The government must care to take the feedback from the media and respond to them swiftly and adequately. If this is done, then the media would be playing a valuable, pro-active role in helping to improve governance.
Enayet Karim
Baridhara
Dhaka