‘Build trust with communities’
BUILDING trust between citizens and Government could help in alleviating doubts about the COVID-19 vaccines, says UN Resident co-ordinator in Fiji Sanaka Samarasinha.
In an interview with this newspaper on anti-vaxxers, Mr Samarasinha explained that the Ebola crisis in Liberia was a classic example of people not trusting government leadership.
“I think the important thing is to build trust with the communities that we engage and the people that we work in,” he said.
“I was in Liberia for a short time during Ebola and we were working to help them through the UN system respond to that crisis.
“By the end of my stint there, it was very clear that Ebola was not just a health crisis, it really was a governance crisis.
“The trust that needed to exist between those who govern and those who are governed did not exist.
“So when people from Government were going around advising of what to do and what not to do, they did not adjust their behaviour.”
He said there were several ways that Government could maintain that trust, one of which was transparency.
“In building that trust, there are different ways that you could in this context, and one you would make sure that you are completely transparent.
“If you don’t know something, say ‘you don’t know’.
“If people obviously begin to suspect that you are hiding something, you will not be able to rebuild that trust.
“Two, you have to be clear and be simple as possible in terms of messaging.
“Don’t confuse people with your jargon.
“Yes, its science but science can be explained in such a way that my 10-year-old will be able to understand.”
The UN through the World Health Organisation has been instrumental in assisting Fiji’s COVID-19 campaign and vaccination programs.