This morning I ran into a document called "A Guide to Owning Transparency for federal agencies" (thank you
@GertjanVerstoep )
and I was so touched by the way this document describes "Open Government", that I had to share this with you:
Quote:
"An open, transparent and participatory government is a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. These are the democratic principles upon which our country is built. Internet-based tools and technologies have made it easier to realize these values. Two-way, interactive web 2.0 tools and technologies make information sharing, citizen participation, and public and private sector collaboration easier than ever before. Transparency of government practices and information, both within government agencies and between the government and its stakeholders, is the heart of open government...
...Transparency is as much about open-mindedness and information sharing, as it is about increased communication and information access. Citizen engagement, public- private sector partnerships, and inter-agency initiatives are all predicated upon transparency.
Transparency fosters the engagement of government employees and citizens alike, so they feel a part of the conversation, process, and decisions; and, thereby, a part of their government. This heightened sense of ownership, accountability, and trust makes government more responsive and enables agencies to more efficiently and effectively accomplish their missions: from government operations to government products." Unquote.
Being in the middle of the Dutch parliemental elections as well as the US presidential election politicians should take a moment of their time to read this, let it sink in and start acting accordingly, because what I read in the election programms of all Dutch political parties, doesn't give me much confidence in the near future. It doesn't even touches insights like above.
In the
Trendrede 2013, an outlook of the future on The Netherlands wrtitten by 12 leading Dutch Trendwatchers, the word 'politics' & 'government' are hardly mentioned. Politics and its players don't offer real solutions and are stuck in the old, worn industrial thinking of the past century. As long as policians neglect the awakening of the Society30, they put themselves outside the game, outside the reality of the present society with its voters.
So, you and me better shape up and start doing things ourselves, starting today!
Here you can download the whole document.