ORG surveys reveal Bahamians feel there is tremendous room for improvement in government services
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Organization for Responsible Governance (ORG) has begun to explore the most effective ways for citizens to give actionable and meaningful feedback to the government on laws, decisions and processes by launching its Citizen’s Charter.
The initiative will prioritize citizen engagement and build active participation among Bahamians while encouraging collaboration, accountability, representation and inclusion in government.
Steffon Evans, ORG engagement coordinator, explained: “A Citizen’s Charter by definition is essentially a list of commitments from a body — in our case, our government — to make services to citizens more accessible, equitable and transparent.
“What makes it unique and important is that the process isn’t just debated among leaders, it must be constantly fed by live feedback from citizens to ensure when these commitments are made, they match the needs of Bahamians around the country.”
The ongoing pilot project has, thus far, involved background research on charters from 10 countries; preliminary surveys among Bahamians on their view of accessing government services; meetings with government officials; and will conclude with a series of public consultations where members of the public can provide feedback on the rollout of a local charter.
The research revealed that countries with effective charters underwent a process that ensured the outcomes improved the quality of decision-making processes and services offered by the government, promoted fairness and transparency and clearly set standards for what citizens should expect.
ORG surveys revealed that when reviewing government services specifically, Bahamians felt there was tremendous room for improvement.
“Approximately 71 percent of citizens surveyed felt the government did not take citizen needs into consideration when providing services,” explained Evans.
“Some 67 percent of citizens felt that, when issues with accessing services arose, they were unable to be resolved, despite reporting them.
“Another 65 percent of citizens felt services are too complicated and take too much time to conduct.
“This information and several other survey questions demonstrate the desire among Bahamians for increased responsiveness and sensitivity to citizens’ needs to be present in services provided by the government.”
In its full rollout, the charter will conduct activities that collect citizen feedback on particular areas of government, including policy development, government programs and public services.
Matthew Aubry, ORG’s executive director, said: “The charter will be an ongoing, long-term process that will have the potential to reshape the way we do public consultation as a country.
“Ideally, this process will be driven by citizens, adopted by the government and will begin to standardize the process of collaboration between the two.”
