It’s one of today’s buzzwords.
Each and every time something needs to be done, the government embarks on a public consultation campaign in order to explain what will be taking place and at the same time get feedback from organisations and individuals.
It has happened several times in the past – the Marsascala recycling plant is one of the latest examples that comes to mind, but there have been many others – and it will continue to happen in the future.
It is the government’s policy to consult the people before making up its mind, but ultimately, it is the one that must take the bull by the horns and take a decision.
Any issue of national importance will – undoubtedly – receive positive and negative feedback. Most people will not take a stand, largely because they would not have an interest in the subject or they are simply not bothered, but others who might be more directly involved in what will be done will air their views, whether in favour or against.
Consultation is in itself a positive exercise because it gives the people the right to take part in the decision-making process. It gives them the possibility to speak up and offer alternatives that might be better than the ones originally proposed.
Gone are the days when governments used to impose their ideas and implement them, sometimes overnight. Today, the people feel that they are contributing more in the running of the country.
Problems, however, still exist.
This is inevitable because whatever the government decides to do – after the consultation process – it is still open to criticism, mostly from those who do not agree with the decision taken.
They will say that the decision was taken before the consultation process, and as such describe the exercise as having been futile.
They will say that the government had already made up its mind about something and that the people were taken for a ride, because the public consultation process did not lead to what they believed was the right move.
They will accuse the government of wanting to favour this person or the other, or this organisation or the other, just because the outcome of the process went against their choice.
In so doing, these people would have probably not seen the overall picture and just concentrated on specific matters.
We are not saying that the government is always right. Far from it. The government – like any other organisation or individuals – commits mistakes. Over the years, governments have made many mistakes and they will continue to make errors in the future too, whether with or without public consultation. Then again, this is always subjective, because what is good for one person may be wrong for someone else.
But this is not the point.
What the public must understand is that a consultation process is what it is, an exercise to learn what the people think, and then it is up to the government to act accordingly. It is impossible for the government to please everyone. Decisions, however, must be taken.
The government would be completely wrong if it constantly postponed taking important decisions. While a consultation exercise is extremely important in a democracy, this should not last more than it should. Deadlines should be set and kept.
There are subjects that might require a longer timeframe for discussion than others, because the issue at stake would have a bigger impact on the country. But in the end, a decision must be taken. The earlier, the better – we would say – because the longer it takes, the bigger the problem would become and the bigger the risk that the cost of implementing the decision would grow.