Dubai: Live communication through the Khat Al Mobashar (Direct Line) radio programme will continue to keep the public informed about what the government is doing and the decisions it is taking, said His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, at the fourth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2015).
The forum aims to build a platform for better communication between governments and their stakeholders to support the government of Sharjah towards creating a participatory dialogue and to develop government communication mechanisms for the benefit of government institutions in the UAE and the region. This edition of the forum has 30 eminent speakers from around the world and from within the UAE.
Addressing the audience, Dr Shaikh Sultan said that if discussions aired on the programme continue to be objective and based on knowledge, “this will get us closer to a real democracy”.
Focusing on the programme and its mission and vision, he said government communication usually starts from the top and then reaches the people, “but through this programme, which I have been following closely and participating in, communication is coming from below and is reaching up to the government.
“The public communication represented by the programme wants to serve the public, establish dialogue with citizens, and keep citizens informed about government works, establishments and about government decisions,” he said.
He added that public communication serves to establish an important dialogue between civil society and the government.
“Communication not only encourages citizens to contribute to public life but to also participate in national initiatives,” he said.
Dr Shaikh Sultan highlighted the challenges that were faced in the beginning when the programme was established and how tough it was to always end up with a purely objective discussion.
“Through the years that passed, I’ve been listening to all the discussions that were taking place on the radio and it was really tough for a real objective discussion to take place, but now things have really changed and the discussions in the programme are all based on objectivity and knowledge.”
He concluded by saying that implementing democracy is difficult, “but training young people on how to be objective and dedicated will in return benefit and serve the country better”.
Held under the patronage of Dr Shaikh Sultan, the IGCF 2015 will run until Monday.
