SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE IS THE SOLUTION.
The government to be able to perform and meet its contractual obligation to its citizen, it must be politically, economically and environmentally sustainable, plainly said its must have a sustainable policy and strategy geared towards sustainable governance.
Sustainable governance is one that ensures the citizens are prioritized, and policies are made to benefit the citizens in its broad spectrum for current and future generation, in a smart, effective and efficient methods that takes care of all shared purposes of governance.
Economic power shifts, political realignments internationally and locally, social inequalities, aging society holding to governance positions, depleting, mismanagement and corruption in resources, globalization are among some of the increasing challenges placing governments under intense pressure, more than ever, and its for this reasons that governments must have ready sustainable strategies’ to meet these challenges.
Sustainable governance, good governance or sustainable development are all interrelated and go side by side, citizens must pursue and demand long term thinking, in order to have a great life for present and future generations. This calls for innovation in governance and policies that are working for the shared purpose of society and not individualistic approach, the overall sustainability of the society should be greater than the individual doing the policy or in government.
Many a time, governments while confronted with such challenges, try to fix through adhoc measures, task force and come up with quick fixes solutions, which are short term and on the face of it appearing to deal with the crisis, but end up having created an opportunity for individual’s selfish goals. This approach creates unfair burden to the future generation, it gives birth to mounting debts, unequal opportunity in the labor market. Health care, Education and son on.
Lack of proper, coordinated and well thought strategies’ in government, puts its citizens future viability at risk, the inability to use effectively and efficiently strategies, its manpower and natural resources for long term sustainability, because without coordinated strategies one cannot navigate past complexities of good governance, which is built on Policy performance, Democracy and Governance.
The Public Policy of a government should be examined against the opportunities it creates and contribute to the provision of its public good, it must promote the social, economic inclusion of its citizens and environmental conditions that generate well-being and performance.
The coordination of policy framework that will be created must be supported and will largely depend on the quality of the country democracy, respect for rule of law, civic rights, citizens confidence, guaranteed opportunities for participation, the legitimacy of political leaders action, without strong support to government actions from its citizenry, policy making will lack the traction needed to hold.
The government should conduct audits on its economic, social and environmental policies to improve, build on what they have based on emerging challenges and responses to better its policymaking. Its should relook at its electoral process, citizens access to information, civil rights, political liberty and rule of law to cultivate and enrich the quality of its democracy. Its executive must be accountable, the legislative actors, the media must be responsible and to the task, it should have independent supervisory bodies. All the above is only viable with an executive whose capacity is excellent in its strategic capacity, coordination, social communication, policy communication, implementation, adaptability to change, evidence based instruments and open to reforms.
The opposite of good governance is bad governance, and bad governance is a recipe of chaos as it lacks rule of law and order, rebuilding what can now be improved becomes difficult and hence the need to do the panel beating, seal the loopholes of bad governance with a view of maintaining some level of order and keep on improving for shared purpose.
