Premier Urges Ministers to Make Full Use of New GIS Studio

~~Adz:Right~~Roadtown, Tortola- Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE is encouraging his fellow ministers to make good use of the newly opened GIS Production Studio.

Speaking at Thursday’s official opening, the Premier said although Permanent Secretaries and the Department of Information and Public Relations do a commendable job on reporting about developments on Government’s agenda, it is the duty of the elected members of Government to let their voices be heard.

“People want to hear the ministers speak, not the Premier alone, they want to hear the ministers speak,” the Premier said.

“The people knowing now that you have the studio in operation would want to know why the Ministers of Government do not come on now and again to tell them what is happening in the country and what is expected to happen,” the Premier stated.

Hon. O’Neal also encouraged officials within the statutory boards to utilise the studio to get their messages out as they provide the public with dependable and reliable service.

The Premier also had words of encouragement for the staff of the Department of Information and Public Relations, telling them to use the studio to improve public education in the Territory.

As an island, the Premier highlighted climate change as an important area for such efforts.

“Climate change could affect our way of life and we either have to modify our way of life or learn how to prevent it from doing too much damage to these small islands,” Hon. O’Neal said.

The Premier also identified financial services as another interesting area of focus. Given the sector’s prominence in the economy of the Territory, he urged the department to broaden the public knowledge.

“There are people here who believe that financial services is a mystique; it is not so and I would think it would be left to the GIS through their programmes to get it across to the people that it is not a mystery,” the Premier told Thursday’s gathering.

He added “it is something that our people should know about, should talk about, should discuss it and should learn whatever they could about it.”

The new GIS Production Studio was completed earlier this year. The facility at the Central Administration Complex comprises an audio and video recording studio, control room and digital library, fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

The studio will help facilitate the department’s mission to be a high quality accurate and timely provider of Government information to the public by using all available forms of media.