The importance of record-keeping

Good governance is vital for sustained economic growth which in turn is the key to reducing poverty and vulnerability of the poor.
Linked closely to democracy, transparency, accountability, popular participation, human rights and sustainable development, its aim is to ensure a fair, just, open and flexible society that gives voice to the people and benefits all.
Today’s multi-pronged development strategy aims to support good governance by strengthening economic policy and management, financial controls and public oversight, administrative and civil service reform and legal and judicial reform.
All of these aspirations depend crucially upon availability of authentic, trustworthy and accessible records.
Records provide the essential evidence that governments require to:
Support the development, delivery and assessment of all government programmes;
Measure outcomes and learn from precedent and past experience;
Explain why decisions were made and how they were carried out;
Demonstrate why and how actions and transactions were undertaken;
Provide the means of achieving accountability;
Protect rights and enforce obligations;
Scrutinise government pro­cess;
Achieve openness and public trust;
lProtect personal privacy and security;
lCommunicate with citizens and with other governments and agencies; and
lEngage in informed debate with civil society.
Where record-keeping systems are inadequate, records cannot be readily accessed or trusted as sources of evidence, the following can place the government at a greater risk of running into chaos:
lArbitrary policy-making and poor decisions;
lReduced access to entitlements;
lReduced transparency, ac­coun­tability and trust;
lFrustrated, apathetic or cynical citizens and groupings;
lIncreased administrative costs;
lInability to assess programme impacts;
lLegal, financial or political risks;
lWasted investments in techno­logy; and
lGaps in the government’s corporate memory, to name a few.

Brown Kapinias
Port Moresby