Structuration And Public Relations Practice In The Namibian Public Sector

Abstract

This study examined public relations in the Namibian public sector from three key perspectives; the PRO, the public and the permanent secretaries who are the official accounting officers of ministries. The research sought responses from different groups of respondents who all have a role to play in PR practice in the public sector. The purpose of the research was to bring PR practice in the public sector to the fore and highlight how the PROs carry out their tasks in the public sector where productivity is often hampered by political factors and issues of hierarchy. The views of the Permanent Secretaries were gauged in order to gain insight into the PR practice in government from management‟s perspective. The methodology used in the research was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A survey was conducted for the larger sample of the study which was the public at large and focus group discussions and interviews were used to obtain the views of PROs, Permanent Secretaries and one Director of Information and Research. The major findings were that there is a lack of emphasis placed on the importance of Public Relations (PR) in the public sector in Namibia; this prohibits PROs in the public sector from successfully carrying out their tasks and fulfilling the communication needs of government and the public. Effective PR is essential and especially so for the public sector in a democratic state. The electorate need to hold the leaders accountable and communication plays a big role in this accountability. This research is significant because it creates a window into the PR function in the public sector; some respondents alluded to PR being new in government and especially in certain ministries. The research can thus act as a catalyst for PROs, the general public and the management of the public sector to improve public communication for the good of all the stakeholders.