51茶馆

Our ambassador Charles Garrett was among the key speakers at the conference devoted to safeguarding the public interest which was held in Skopje recently. In delivering his remarks, the ambassador said:

袩芯褔懈褌褍胁邪薪懈 褋芯褉邪斜芯褌薪懈褑懈, 锌褉械褌褋褌邪胁薪懈褑懈 薪邪 屑械写懈褍屑懈褌械, 写褉邪谐懈 谐芯褋褌懈, 写芯斜褉芯 褍褌褉芯 薪邪 褋懈褌械. Mirm毛ngjez gjithve.

袙懈 斜谢邪谐芯写邪褉邪屑 蟹邪 锌芯泻邪薪邪褌邪 写邪 褋械 芯斜褉邪褌邪屑 写械薪械褋 薪邪 泻芯薪褎械褉械薪褑懈褬邪褌邪 薪邪 泻芯褬邪 褱械 褋械 写械斜邪褌懈褉邪 蟹邪 鈥炐斝敌盒拘窖佈傃�褍懈褉邪褮械 薪邪 泻芯薪褑械锌褌芯褌 薪邪 褬邪胁械薪 懈薪褌械褉械褋 胁芯 袪械锌褍斜谢懈泻邪 袦邪泻械写芯薪懈褬邪: (蟹谢芯)褍锌芯褌褉械斜邪 胁芯 懈屑械 薪邪 谐褉邪褤邪薪懈褌械.

袣芯薪褎械褉械薪褑懈褬邪褌邪 械 写械谢 芯写 邪泻褌懈胁薪芯褋褌懈褌械 泻芯懈 褋械 褋锌褉芯胁械写褍胁邪邪褌 胁芯 褉邪屑泻懈 薪邪 锌褉芯械泻褌芯褌 鈥炐樞费�邪蟹褍胁邪褮械 薪邪 褬邪胁薪懈芯褌 懈薪褌械褉械褋: 蟹谐芯谢械屑褍胁邪褮械 薪邪 屑芯褱褌邪 薪邪 屑械写懈褍屑懈褌械 懈 谐褉邪褤邪薪懈褌械 胁芯 褕褌懈褌械褮械褌芯 薪邪 褬邪胁薪懈褌械 锌芯谢懈褌懈泻懈 胁芯 袦邪泻械写芯薪懈褬邪鈥�.

小械泻芯谐邪褕 屑懈 械 蟹邪写芯胁芯谢褋褌胁芯 泻芯谐邪 懈屑邪屑 屑芯卸薪芯褋褌 写邪 褋械 芯斜褉邪褌邪屑 薪邪 邪泻褌懈胁薪芯褋褌懈 泻芯懈 褋械 写械谢 薪邪褕邪褌邪 锌褉芯谐褉邪屑褋泻邪 锌芯写写褉褕泻邪 蟹邪 袦邪泻械写芯薪懈褬邪, 蟹邪褌芯邪 褕褌芯 薪懈械 褉邪斜芯褌懈屑械 褋芯 屑薪芯谐褍 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 褋械泻褌芯褉懈 芯写 屑邪泻械写芯薪褋泻芯褌芯 芯锌褕褌械褋褌胁芯. 袨褋芯斜械薪芯 械 斜懈褌薪芯 褕褌芯 写械薪械褋 蟹斜芯褉褍胁邪屑械 蟹邪 褌械屑邪褌邪 薪邪 褬邪胁薪懈芯褌 懈薪褌械褉械褋, 褋芯 芯谐谢械写 薪邪 锌芯谢懈褌懈褔泻邪褌邪 褋懈褌褍邪褑懈褬邪 胁芯 泻芯褬邪 褋械 薪邪芯褤邪 袦邪泻械写芯薪懈褬邪, 懈 写械斜邪褌邪褌邪 蟹邪 懈薪褌械褉械褋芯褌 薪邪 芯斜懈褔薪懈芯褌 谐褉邪褤邪薪懈薪 懈 芯写谐芯胁芯褉薪芯褋褌邪 薪邪 锌芯谢懈褌懈褔泻懈褌械 谢懈写械褉懈.

I recently contributed a blog for the launch of the digital citizenship initiative 鈥楻es Publica. In it, I focused on a phrase often used by the UK Civil Service. That phrase is 鈥楽peak truth unto power.鈥�

The courage to speak the truth to powerful people is in the blood of all good civil servants, even if they know that it will complicate their lives. The best politicians, on the other hand, learn to cherish civil service advice which points out the flaws in their arguments. The same is true of anyone with the power to affect the lives of others, whether they work in the public interest or not.

But defining the public interest is not easy. 鈥淭he Public鈥� by definition means everyone living in a country. And different members of the public often want different things and often have different priorities.

It鈥檚 much easier to see what鈥檚 not in the public鈥檚 interest, in particular where government is concerned. Misuse of tax revenue, which is after all the public鈥檚 money, is high on the list. Corruption, bad spending decisions, inefficiency. These are obvious examples. Less obvious perhaps is lack of transparency in government. Governments which don鈥檛 let the public see how their tax money is spent, are not working in the public interest. Governments which are secretive about their decision-making, are not working in the public interest.

What this boils down to is that governments are there to serve the people. Everyone in government from the most junior official right up to the Prime Minister and the President is paid with money that comes from the people. They are being paid to do a job for the people. Which means they have a responsibility to do that job as wisely, as efficiently, as effectively as possible. And therein lies an important part of the public interest.

The best way to protect the public interest is public scrutiny. It is for the public to take an interest in what is being done in their name and to use their influence. Through public scrutiny voters can get the information they need to make informed choices about the kind of society they want to live in and about whom they want to lead them.

We recognise the importance of public scrutiny and the need to understand what is and is not in the public interests. That鈥檚 why this project is getting British support. It aims to produce a comprehensive, comparative analysis of public interest in Macedonia and the EU. To identify how the public interest is regulated in the national and European legislative systems. And to understand how the citizens of Macedonia perceive the public interest.

We may rightly hold politicians responsible for their decisions. But the public have a responsibility too. Their role is to take an interest in what is being done in their name and to make informed and coherent demands of their politicians. That isn鈥檛 always easy. But a vibrant debate on the public interest is an essential ingredient of a successful democracy.

We hope that through this project more people from across Macedonian society will feel empowered to join the debate and thus help politicians make decisions that are in their interests.

So let me take this chance to wish you fruitful debate at today鈥檚 conference. And to the Institute for Communication Studies I wish every success with this important project. 袙懈 锌芯褋邪泻褍胁邪屑 褍褋锌械褕薪邪 褉邪斜芯褌邪. Ju d毛shiroj pun毛 t毛 mbar毛.

Thank you. 袙懈 斜谢邪谐芯写邪褉邪屑. Faliminderit.

The project Voicing the Public Interest is implemented by the Institute for Communication Studies in the period of June 2015-June 2016 with the support of the British Embassy in Skopje.