Gov’t Communication Being Streamlined

The Government is moving to streamline communication, which will see ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) working more closely to ensure effective dissemination of official information and promote meaningful engagement with the public.

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Information, Hon. Robert Morgan, said the strategy has two components.

The first is the designation of the communications and public affairs unit in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) as the focal point in the coordination of Government of Jamaica (GOJ) Communications, and the second is the re-establishment of the Group of Government Communicators, which will be chaired by the Director of Communications in the OPM.

The move will ensure that the Government speaks with one voice, making information more readily and widely available to citizens and preventing any misinformation from unreliable sources.

“The purpose of this is to re-establish that ecosystem where there can be a symbiotic relationship between all MDAs,” Minister Morgan explained.

“So that’s what we’re trying to do – bring everybody together in one grouping under the assistance of the Director of Communications,” he said.

Minister Morgan was speaking at a Public Relations and Communications Retreat for Government Officers held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, downtown Kingston on Thursday (September 28).

He charged the communicators to ensure that there is clearer and more effective communication of government policies and programmes.

“I think that with the advent of misinformation and disinformation, people are yearning for clear, verifiable, direct conversation and… a humble approach to how we speak to them,” he said.

“My suggestion is… to look at where the gaps are in your communication, and how it is you can create systems, mechanisms and processes to improve your communication and your ability to reach people,” he added.

He further called for greater use of social media to provide timely and accurate information to the public.

Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ambassador Rocky Meade, in his remarks, stressed the importance of aligning the messages of MDAs with the wider Government of Jamaica strategic vision.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, for her part, said there is need for a “broader harnessing of the facts” and more timely dissemination of information.