Sharjah Forum: Bridge the communication gap

Sharjah: Dictators and “those who remain silent to their crimes” in the Middle East will find no supporters among the “faithful brethren,” said Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan in a strongly worded speech at a Sharjah forum on Sunday.

Referring to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and toppled regimes in the Arab world, he told the audience at the Sharjah Government Communications (GCF) Forum that “dictators of injustice” as well as “silent dictators who fail to speak out against injustice” will be met with strong reaction from Turkey and the wider Muslim world.

Erdogan was referring to conflicts and social inequality in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somali and other nations in the Muslim and Arab world. Erdogan stressed leaders must communicate not just when times are good but especially when circumstances go wrong.

Erdogan’s remarks came during his address at the opening ceremony of the second GCF, which opened on Sunday at the Expo Centre in Sharjah in the presence of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, government leaders, advocates and media bosses discussing how authorities and the public can bridge gaps amid changes sweeping the regional political and media landscape.

The opening ceremony saw speeches by Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, chairman of forum organiser Sharjah Media Centre, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.

The first day of the two-day event has attracted some 500 participants and at least 2,000 attendees. Amr Mousa, former secretary-general of the Arab League, was another high-profile participant of the annual event.

“Speaking out sometimes causes discomfort to many, but we cannot be silent when the innocent are massacred. We have to speak, see and touch from the heart; say what everyone else doesn’t say,” Erdogan said.

He added that direct communication, in meetings and speeches, was in his view the most effective way of achieving that.

Cheered on by the audience, he next highlighted the role of technology and media in building communication bridges — as long as the messages are sincere.

“We cannot build a world on lies. If there’s no sincerity, there can be no communication with anyone. Mobile phones are only devices, if they don’t carry love between people, they are only toys.

“Communication tools have made rendered the world a global village – but people are moving far from each other. There must be something wrong then.

“People have to dominate devices, include the human element in them. As we see destruction and cruelty around us [in the region], people can’t turn blind and deaf to that. We’ve to reverse that process, I hope this forum in Sharjah will be important in doing that.”

Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, emphasised the importance of communication between governments and citizens as he said that never has the “levels of trust between citizens and governments been so low”.

He added that citizens feel excluded and that their political systems are unaccountable, in addition to citizens feeling that their concerns are going unheard. “Effective communication is a prerequisite to restoring people’s trust in their political systems.” Annan said.

Citizens, he said, must believe that their leaders who represent them share their concerns, and that the laws and regulations will be applied without distinctions.

Peace and security, development and the rule of law and respect of human rights are important for a country, Annan said, but that can only be achieved through engaging with the citizens.

Annan also highlighted the role of the media in this dialogue, as it can include everyone in the national discourse. But the media is a double- edged sword, he implied, as he said the media has the potential to corrode trust between the citizens and the government through things such as hate speeches.

In his speech, Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi said that “Sharjah today is determined to build humans before structures as this is our most important investment and that has not and will not change.” He added that the Government Communication Forum is only one of many initiatives in Sharjah that seeks to build people, their skills and talents.

He added that Sharjah has become a platform to share best practices in government communication from around the world and spread those experiences to others. He added that they are “confident that in these two days we will share the best practices in government communication”.

In this day and age, he said, with all the change and multiplicity of information sources, one cannot know the truth of the person except through the clarity of what he says and does, “so what if the people in question are citizens and governments “.

He said that he saw people from different nationalities, cultures, languages and religions in the audience all gathered for one goal, to communicate, discuss, learn and share experiences.

“Citizen satisfaction is not something we can achieve overnight.” He added that they however have a strong will to spread the best practices in the sector of government communication.

Sharjah, he said, has taken up the task of upgrading the standards of government communication with a clear vision, which has yielded three results. “First was building a Government Communications Unit in the emirate of Sharjah, which will contribute to raising the level of government communication; second was training cadres in government communication departments in the emirate of Sharjah to enhance their performance and develop them to match the pace of the changes taking place in the world; the third was investing in youth’s energies and encourage them to get involved in the field of government communication.”

The second day of the GCF on Monday will focus on best practices in government communication worldwide, and the accompanying workshops aim to train participants on the skills required for successful government communications. Speakers on the second day include Martin Luther King III, human rights advocate and community activist; Handy Kandil, renowned media personality and journalist; and Ahmad Salem Bosamnoh, board member of Sharjah Media Corporation.