Open Government

Let’s talk about Open Government— the principle of building a system that is accountable, transparent, and accessible to its citizens, involving people in the decision-making process.

It sounds like how all governments should operate, doesn’t it? Yet, it’s not what we are used to, is it? How often have we seen fudged answers, denial of access to information, or just statements that basic figures aren’t being collected by our leaders?

Our people are so disconnected from our politicians and the public sector at the moment, largely because we don’t trust or believe in them.

Too often, we are expected to accept that important information we need to know isn’t being tracked.

We must change this and realign our relationship with the government of Mann, which requires full transparency and openness from the administration.

If elected, I would be at the forefront of advocating for these changes:

1. All government data should be published, and contracts made publicly available for scrutiny.

2. The public should have access to up-to-date, essential figures regarding all areas of government. It is unacceptable that our financial figures are often 2 to 3 years behind when published. How can we react to trends when we aren’t seeing them in real time?

3. We need to create a modern, easily searchable resource for all government data and information. Our current websites are archaic and disjointed, making it nearly impossible to find what you’re looking for.

4. More public engagement is essential. While the consultation hub has some strong points, we are in times when huge decisions will need to be made. We must involve the public more in making these decisions and trust our citizens to make the right choices. I would like to see the introduction of citizens' assemblies, deliberative polling, and, on the most significant issues, referenda, allowing our public to participate more actively.

We should definitely have public input into the Island Plan, which is generally renewed at the start of each administration.

These major overarching policies for the next five years should be subject to public scrutiny. We need to fix our Island together, lets start that by making government OPEN.

#VoteSaundersinDouglasEast