So it’s a period in US politics when Senators go back to their constituency for engagements and feedback. This year however, these town hall meetings have become very rowdy with angry constituents both Republicans and Democrats.

There is one of Senator Tom Cotton, a Donald Trump ally, being grilled over plans to repeal Obamacare and the wall with Mexico in the state Arkansas. According to a report by the Telegraph, during the rowdy event held in relatively liberal voters in the north west of the state, the audience routinely screamed at the senator.

One of the most heated moments came when a woman challenged the senator on repealing Obamacare. She praised the Affordable Care Act and outlined how without it, she would die “This is not hyperbole” she said.

As the Senator attempted to move on from her question about how he would replace Obamacare, the crowd erupted in support of the woman.

Another woman, who said her husband suffers from dementia, asked, “I have three members of my family who would be dead, dead! And homeless, if it was not for Obamacare…. What kind of insurance do you have?” “If you can give us better care than this, go for it,” she told the senator to huge cheers.

That is how engaging policy discussions can be in some countries and it can only get better.

In contrast to our nation Nigeria, it can be said with very little doubt that all town hall meetings organized by any politician be it a local government chairman, governor, lawmaker or the president is sure to be filled up with “strictly by invitation” guests and a large mass of government dignitaries, political party members and supporters. Giving an audience like this, the meeting is reduced into a campaign rally of sorts, the convener having lots to say about his good works without any honest, sincere and meaningful feedback. The essence of the town hall meeting is hence missed, a platform to present information to the citizens and hear their concerns and opinions; for citizens to voice their opinions and ask questions of elected officials for further policy amendments and formulations.

In the many scenarios that has occurred in the US in the past couple of days, ordinary citizens have been very vocal about issues they feel concerns them and are talking tough right in the presence of their senators. Interestingly, there are some Senators who are avoiding these events altogether during this short congressional recess for obvious reasons.

Civility and praise singing is however the norm in Nigeria. This explains the very low level of accountability of elected officials in Nigeria which continue to stifle the development of the country. Recently, TuFace Idibia announced his decision to organize a protest against the government only for a series of events – the police authority on one side and pro government supporters on another side to make him rescind his decision.

Non-partisan political engagement must be seen as an integral part of political action in a democratic society. Without them, injustices would continue unchallenged and people would lose confidence in the democratic process. It serves the government itself to improve its performance quality by helping to find out which are the public’s majority concerns and preferences thus making the government more effective, democratic, transparent and legal. It also plays an important role in the decision-making process, by improving decisions through collection of considerations among the community who feel the impact of government actions for good or for bad.

In conclusion according to Blendi Dibra, public participation in governance is a fundamental human right and its guaranteed by international conventions. Increasing citizen’s involvement to improve governance is one of the fundamental requirements in the development of democratic systems.

Public participation however is by no means an easy thing to be accomplished. It requires much energy, time, and resources. Accordingly the process should be accompanied with a twofold awareness raising campaign. One hand the citizens themselves should be awaken on the important role they need to play in the agenda-setting process and on the other hand awareness raining work should be done also with public institutions and political leaders and representatives in order for them to fully recognize that a more active citizens’ participation in the policy elaboration would eventually facilitate efficient and sustainable implementation of right policies. To effectively respond to citizen needs, government needs to start listening to what citizens are saying and recruit their assistance in crafting effective policies and decisions. Citizens, at the other side, should use all legal areas to increase their participation as far as expressing their opinion about important issues is concerned as politicians seldom move to create changes that put their positions at a disadvantage. It is the people who always rise to resist injustice and inequality.

In the end, building a nation with efficient systems-health, education, security, transport etc is not just talk; it takes leaders who are hardworking, dedicated and accountable and citizens who continuously demand accountability. After all, it is said that the entire edifice of democracy rests in the final analysis, of the public opinion.

Source: http://adtensblog.com/town-hall-meetings-nigeria-and-the-usa/