Why speaking to citizens is essential

This article is written by Alina Merlici, Public Relations and Communications professional with the Government of Moldova.

• The problem: Global crises are getting out of our control. The frenzy of too frequent changes in people's lives morally destabilizes citizens' trust in their leaders.
• Why it matters: Everything starts with healthy communication. It matters for harmony in all administrative processes and the development of citizen-government relations.
• The solution: Communication is the key to an effective dialogue between citizens and government, paving the way for a better understanding of people, what motivates them, and how to work cooperatively with them.

Many citizens would like to wake up in the morning and receive a message from their government administration with the best social decisions, to open an email and read the latest news about the best economic choices, or receive a postcard in which the prime minister congratulates you on special occasions.

These things sound so friendly and so close to citizens' needs. But it doesn't always happen and not everywhere. Governments still have a communication gap that often causes citizens to feel distant from the decision-makers or even indifferent to everything that politics means to people.

Governments still have a communication gap that often causes citizens to feel distant from the decision-makers or even indifferent to everything that politics means to people.

Knocking on the door should not only be in electoral campaigns; knocking on the door should be in all its forms of communication - regular, consistent, and honest. When you talk to people more often and better, they become more responsive, more involved, and more interested.

The need for engaged citizenship

“The most important office in a democracy is the citizen”. Starting from this belief shared by many national and international leaders, we are definitely talking about an open, democratic government - an essential factor in modernizing public activity.

For a government to perform its own plans, projects, and goals, it must build a bridge with the citizens and involve them; this will make public policies more effective and, of course, more widely accepted by the general public. In fact, this is a moral duty of government, and the main driver of public support for development cooperation.

We know very well that poorly informed citizens are less likely to be effective advocates for development partnerships. More public information is needed to be more transparent about how development funds are used, how purchases are made, and the results they achieve.

How to reach out to citizens

• Have a clear, strategic vision. A prime minister with five clear objectives will always be understood as to which direction they are leading their country.
• Engaging youth in policy-making processes via informal participation, associations, focus groups, and opportunities for internships in administrative institutions.
• Capacity to act together and emerge stronger out of crises.
• Communicate results – good and bad. Because the crisis does not belong to the government nor to the citizens - it belongs to those who know how to work together without prejudice.
• Make time for creativity and innovation. A prime minister competing with students in a chess competition, a minister running in a marathon, a general secretary involved in a robotics competition with school children, or a dance competition, will revive the interaction between citizens and decision-making.

Why their involvement is necessary**

• Harmony is created between citizens and the public administration. People will more easily develop relationships with their leaders. The trust bridge will be easier to install without constraints, fears or doubts.
• A citizen involved in state policies will contribute to the red tape process - an essential element to make the system more transparent and open.
• Citizens are a powerful force for change. The country's prosperity goes hand in hand with the citizens and the governor. If the citizen is involved in the process of public consultations - all spheres of development of a state will have the perspective of evolution.
• The voice of the people in government gives it direction. An economist will best know the needs of entrepreneurs; an agriculturist will understand the needs of farmers; an academic will know the needs of teachers much better, and so on.

Speaking to citizens not only brings admiration and appreciation for government but also develops that natural bond of collaboration in a democratic state with participatory and representative values.

There is one saying of Abraham Lincoln: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” It now depends a lot on how long citizens have been involved in state policies, how much the governors let this happen through communication, breaking the barriers, and how they overcome them.

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(Image Credit: Giulia May, Unsplash)