There is a concerted effort by the Ministry of Communications (MOC) to ensure citizens are aware of Government’s expenditure and programmes and how this is used to deliver services to communities throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
The Minister of Communications Senator the Honourable Donna Cox gave this undertaking when she met with communications practitioners from all across the Government yesterday, 3 December 2019.
Minister Cox wanted to hear from them and apprise them of new initiatives. She told the group that they can look forward to The Difference a one-minute programme that will be available on all media platforms and will act as the official voice of the Government.
“Taxpayers want to know what the Government is doing in each of these Ministries. We owe them a duty of care and we should be ready to provide them with the relevant information,” said Minister Cox.
An e-newsletter is among the new initiatives to be rolled out by the MOC. The Ministry, she said, is embarking on a Did You Know campaign aimed at providing answers and information to frequently asked questions about Government services. The Minister said this was important because there are too many under-utilised Government initiatives which citizens are unaware of.
“It is our role as communicators to explain policy and help deliver services. I believe that effective Government communications can bring about positive changes to our citizens and help our democratic institutions. This is needed now more than ever in today’s digital age where news, sometimes fake news, has the ability to change the course of a nation.”
Human and physical resources, training, the quality of information and the timeliness of dissemination were some of the other issues discussed at the meeting.
The Minister encouraged greater collaboration across Ministries and gave the undertaking to meet with the communications professionals once a month to keep them abreast of Government’s plans and to help them work through and find solutions to issues with regards to the communications process.
The meeting was held at Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.