Minister Mtambo says govt committed to citizenship engagement
Government has expressed commitment to provide space for open and transparent engagement between government and its citizens to ensure social accountability of public service provision.
The Minister of National Unity Timothy Mtambo made the government commitment in Lilongwe on Tuesday during the Pabwalo Platform Engagement.
Mtambo cited the Pabwalo Platform Engagement, which was designed to promote an earnest state-citizen relationship in order to spur social and economic development of the country by bringing government and the people together to discuss and dialogue on important issues pertaining to national development.
Among others, the platform organizes government – public interface meetings and open discussion forums where officials from government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) articulate the functions, duties and services of their respective institutions.
“People all over the world yearn for governments and societies that respect and recognise their rights and their dignity. This implies that people desire to have governments and societies that observe the rule of law, and that allow citizens to willingly fulfil their responsibilities. This is what democracy is all about,” he said.
Mtambo stated that it is in this view that the Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of National Unity, is creating necessary platforms for providing such information to the citizenry.
He said the Pabwalo programme on MBC radio and television has, so far, tackled issues surrounding the fight against corruption, exchange rates, inflation and economic status of Malawi in relation to the global situation, functions of the Office of Ombudsman and the legal Aid Bureau, environmental conservation as it relates to forestry and fisheries, mental health illness at LUANAR and many more.
“It is in view of the above, that it pleased the Head of State, His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera to institute and empower us in the Ministry of National Unity through the Department of Civic Education, to take an active role in enlightening the citizens of this nation about the state obligations, as well as about citizen responsibilities towards those obligations,” he said.
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