Transparency: It's an Attitude

Almost every Philippine government agency has an emphasis on transparency. Not because of law, necessarily, but because of the good governance initiatives of President Aquino and the understanding that the public wants it. Citizens and their agents, the press and watchdog groups, want SALN's and financial information and other facts in order to keep an eye on a government that seems historically inclined to drift toward corruption and little favors like million-peso Christmas gifts from taxpayer accounts.

Let's explore this animal "transparency" a little more, eh?

Here's what dictionary.com says transparency means:

trans·par·en·cy   [trans-pair-uhn-see, -par-]  noun, plural  trans·par·en·cies.  

• Something transparent, especially a picture, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind.

Well, that definition hints at what we are driving at, but clearly, we need to ask our good friend Humpty Dumpty to recast the definition to better suit what we are striving for. We need a definition that pertains to government agencies, not glass.

• HDNWD: transparency (noun) The act of being candid with citizens regarding information about the activities and operations of a government unit.

Yeah, that's better.

So what do we expect from a transparent government?

• Well, first and foremost, we want to be able to track the money. So we need information on budgets and expenses. We need enough detail to be able to see where the big amounts go. This should be easily accessible on the internet.

• We'd like SALN's to know leaders are not enriching themselves by illicit kickbacks or budget shenanigans.

• We need a method of public inquiry that is reasonable. For example, journalists and certain representatives of the public need to have the right to dig deeper. Not "at will", but within some standards of reason. Guidelines need to be written to deal with requests.

• Citizens need also to understand the vision, mission, strategies, and major tactics of government units. What's the plan? Where are we now, where are we headed and how and when are we going to get there? The plan should have measurable benchmarks. Specific targets and timeframes.

• Citizens then also need to be able to monitor progress toward goals and understand why there are variances from plan. Change in environment? Wrong estimate of timeframe or expenses? Essentially, the public is like a corporate "Board of Directors" and it can only do its job responsibly if it is given good information. If given good reports.

Those are the basics, I think.

But there is one additional quality of transparency that I think government agencies miss. We can call it candor i suppose. And in the failure to be forthright, we can read a lack of  respect for citizens.

The persistent theme in government web sites is self-promotion. The everlasting engagement in public relations or politics rather than running the business of the people.

So many government web sites feature achievements or have glowing biographies of leaders. They emphasize the good and downplay or ignore the bad. In doing so they create a kind of fairy tale impression of glitter and gold and dancing in the castle with the prince. In truth, they are slogging up a muddy hillside in the rain trying to get to dry land.

The lack of objectivity is a lack of transparency, and it is dangerous. I know why it is done. Agency heads want the people to be confident in the agency. They want Philippine citizens to understand that the agency is doing a lot of good work for the Philippines.

But it is hiding from the truth. And it stops good works from getting done.

Playing PR with the citizens, or political games, is not transparency. To sit down with the Board of Directors and mislead them with glowing reports when the business is struggling is negligence at best and criminal at worst.

I'm inclined to think these are face-saving tricks played by the incapable as they try to hang onto their jobs. Or it is an elitist game played by officials who believe "the people aren't smart enough to handle the truth".

I think transparency requires having more confidence in Philippine citizens than that. It requires a belief that they are adults who can handle the good and the bad and accept that he bad sometimes comes with the territory. There is nothing wrong with a mistake or two along the path of progress. It is important to acknowledge when someone screws up. When conditions change. When someone made a decision with imperfect information.

Now, maybe Filipinos DON'T trust one another, and so my overlay of good corporate practices does not work in the Philippines. Maybe Filipinos do not cut anyone slack for not getting it perfect.

In that case, my argument is wrong.

But, if I ran a government agency web site, I would err on the side of confidence in Filipinos. I would put my performance targets smack dab on the Home Page.  I would explain when things were not going well, why, and what we are doing to adjust. And I would note when things are going according to, or better than, plan.

I'd be forthright and honest. Candid. I think that is a better way of gaining the confidence and backing of the public than blowing smoke.

Transparency is more than an excel worksheet. It is an attitude that reflects confidence in, and respect of, Philippine citizens.