The secret of winning public trust

Information secretary Balochistan believes in solving problems through social media

Islamabad: Muhammad Hamza Shafqat (MHS) is the information secretary in Balochistan. Before his posting there, he remained the most successful deputy commissioner of Islamabad. He revolutionised city administration by introducing social media as a tool for the resolution of public complaints. He is an officer with about 500,000 followers on his official and about 400,000 followers on his personal Twitter account. No government official has ever been able to get even closer to him in public outreach. In an interview with him, we tried to understand how and why other government officers should enhance their public outreach using modern communication techniques.

What are the very basic indicators of social media effectiveness in public administration?

My perspective on social media is grounded in its practicability to resolve administrative issues. Social media gives you direct access to the masses and an opportunity to deliver round the clock in a very cost-effective manner.

How do you feel about social media’s power to connect in scantly populated Balochistan?

The province faces financial constraints. We have less than Rs10 million to spend on awareness about government functions in the province. This amount is just a dot compared to the heavy budgets running into billions of rupees in other provinces.

We cannot simply afford mega ads in newspapers and TV channels to publicise initiatives of our government. But then we could not sit idle. Social media is the solution to this problem in the case of Balochistan.

Tell us something about your communication strategy in Balochistan?

I have made a social media cell. We are in coordination with all government organs. We develop short public messages, mainly targeting Twitter. Twitter is our strength, though our presence on Facebook and YouTube is also increasing gradually. Recently, we have set up a Twitter account for the chief commissioner. The public can now access the chief commissioner for redressal of their complaints or for directing his attention to any specific matter.

What are the challenges in Balochistan?

Balochistan is a very beautiful province. The natural scenery is incredible. The lakes, hills and deserts of the area are phenomenal. At the same time, the challenges here are real with far-reaching implications. It is not like what you experience in Islamabad. For example, if a road is blocked or a dog is sick in Islamabad, it grabs TV screens and becomes a priority matter for the administration to resolve. Unlike that, violent groups of different nature are active in Balochistan. Just a couple of days ago, the Chaman border came under attack from the Afghan side. Seven people were killed and about 20 injured in just the blink of an eye.

Similar incidents take place in other parts of the province. A mix of national and international groups is out to spoil the peace of the land. Border areas with Afghanistan and Iran always seek more attention. The problems are real and we are committed to resolving them.

Journalists in Balochistan complain of restrictions on their work. Similarly, complaints of access to information are also very frequent. How do you see this problem?

We have developed a mechanism recently that people could get information using the legal procedures guaranteeing their right to information. Similarly, we are working for the protection of journalists in Balochistan. I have meetings with their representatives frequently.

You also need to understand the social fabric of Balochistan. It is a society made up of clans. Some are more powerful than others. The people in government offices also adhere to their clan traditions. If someone thinks that a newspaper story targets him unduly, he feels duty-bound to take revenge. Even if he is a government official, he will seek revenge.

Things, sometimes, go bad because of this tendency. In Islamabad or other cities, it is not as personal as it is in Balochistan. People know each other. The population of the entire province is less than Faisalabad. You cannot hide your identity here. Local journalists are mindful of their society.

You say that social media is effective for public outreach. But when we review the social media accounts of the deputy commissioners of Punjab, we find that their followership is a disappointment. How do you see this problem?

Frankly, I prefer avoiding comments on this matter. But if you ask me, I will say that the average tenure for a deputy commissioner in Punjab is four months. They are transferred before they get to know and take root at the station they are posted. Political instability is one of the reasons behind these transfers. What can you expect from an officer who is not given enough time to serve the station where he is posted?

Every district administration has a social media team. How do you see their performance?

Social media is not about making an account on Twitter or Facebook. It is about problem-solving. All that social media teams of district administrations can do is forward the complaints to concerned quarters. If action is not taken on these complaints, who will follow these government accounts?

There is a visible public trust deficit in the Islamabad administration at present. Traders, students, environmentalists and teachers all are up in arms against them. What is your advice for the city managers?

Again I will prefer not to answer this question. However, I can share my experience as a former deputy commissioner of the federal capital. I used to operate my Twitter account myself. I was convinced that the British Raj era had gone. City administrators are public servants and it does not behove them to act like viceroys. I knew that a citizen needs one or two days to access the deputy commissioner or chief commissioner because the officers are busy in back-to-back meetings.

But they can track public complaints online and issue orders then and there, sitting in any meeting. The government in those days also encouraged the express resolution of public complaints. When you resolve problems, more and more people are connected with you online and public trust in the government is developed. This is the secret.

Do you believe in the power of communication for the resolution of disputes in Balochistan?

There is no doubt about that. We need to always keep our doors open for talks. I believe that government officers are public servants and it is their strength. By resolving public problems, they enhance public trust in the government, which is very vital to run the country. I am thankful that the public has trust in me.

The writer is an ICFJ fellow and teaches mediatisation at International Islamic University Islamabad