Among the litany of frustrations voiced by members of the public, two prevailing issues stand out: the pervasive use of empty platitudes and the frequent employment of deflective responses by departmental officers.
Firstly, I am referring to the practices used by some (but not all) officers employed by government departments.
We have all experienced them at some point.
Phrases like ’We want to assure you that we take your concerns seriously’; or ’We are committed to addressing this issue’.
They appear regularly in government correspondence, and government ’speak’ in response to a complaint, concern or enquiry we have raised.
These practices not only infantilise the populace but also undermine trust in government.
They are frequently condescending in tone and serve as little more than a pacifier for our concerns.
They put on display the disconnect between bureaucrats and the communities they purportedly serve.
It’s time for the patronising language to stop.
The community demands, and has a right to expect, transparency, sincerity and meaningful action from those in bureaucratic power, public servants whose positions are funded by the very people they are to serve.
Secondly, the community is tired of the deflective responses employed by bureaucrats when confronted with challenging issues.
We all know what these issues are.
Stop telling us they are complex.
Stop sending them off to review after review when the same recommendations are made time and time again.
It comes across as a deflective and stalling tactic and only reinforces the perception of bureaucratic indifference and incompetence.
As a community, we deserve more than empty promises and vague reassurances from those in bureaucratic positions.
We demand accountability, transparency, and real solutions. We want genuinely responsive and accountable bureaucrats who listen to our concerns and take decisive action to address them.
The time has come for a shift away from the practices that insult our collective intelligence and toward a more transparent and meaningful form of communication with the public.
Only then will there be a more empowering and respectful form of governance that truly serves the people’s interests.
