INFORMATION Minister Lynda Tabuya has fired back at critics who mock her portfolio as one of “likes and shares”, saying her ministry is at the heart of public trust and national accountability.
“This portfolio may not build roads or hospitals, but it builds something just as essential – public trust,” she told Parliament in a rousing address yesterday.
“We don’t cut ribbons. We connect citizens to what those ribbons stand for.”
Ms Tabuya said social media posts were not superficial, but sometimes life-changing.
“The post you scroll past may be the one that tells you your daughter’s school is reopening, or where the nearest health clinic is, or how to get disaster relief,” she said.
“If it takes TikTok to get that message across, we’ll dance. We’ll do the work.”
She announced the rollout of major reforms to transform how the Government communicates with citizens, including a national crisis communication protocol, a live and accessible government website, and a rapid response unit to combat disinformation.
“Information is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy.
“When it flows freely, democracy deepens. When it is delayed or distorted, democracy suffers.”
Ms Tabuya said the ministry would require all government departments to submit one-page communications plans and coordinate messaging through a digital dashboard.
She pledged to speak in the people’s language.
“If you go to the market in Savusavu and ask someone what they think of Hon Biman’s new tax reform … they say, ‘how does it help me to pay my dinau at the store?’
“That is the language we must use.”
