Citizen Support Unit organises workshop with Trade Union

A one-day workshop on “Trade Union Engagement in Putting Citizens First” was held yesterday with members of the Government Services Employees Association (GSEA) at the Unity House, Beau Bassin at the initiative of the Citizen Support Unit (CSU) of the Prime Minister’s Office and the GSEA. 

The aim was to expose and raise awareness among the Trade Union movement regarding the online platform that is the Citizen Support Portal (CSP) launched in  April this year and which can be accessed on www.csu.mu. Other objectives of the workshop were to give an overview and an insight of the role of the CSU and the accessibility of the e-platform for any queries, requests, and suggestions. 

On this occasion, the Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr B. Heerowa, emphasised the importance of the CSP which he underlined is termed as a concrete example of democratic tool meant to bring the concerns of the citizens closer to the Government in line with the philosophy of putting people first. 

He made an appeal to the participants and population to use the portal which has been put to their avail to address the wide-ranging needs of Mauritians which will eventually help improve the living environment prevailing in the country. He also lauded the good work being achieved so far by public officers who are involved in managing the CSP and encouraged them to deliver their duties with due diligence as well as demonstrate a sense of responsibility towards the citizens.   

For his part, the President of the GSEA, Mr Radhakrishna Sadien, stated that the CSP is an essential tool for citizens to communicate their concerns in their day-to-day living to the Government.  He expressed satisfaction that with the CSP the role of the Citizen Advice Bureaus (CAB) across the country has been revamped and that the online system is more transparent and faster in dealing with queries from the population. He also spoke of the change in the mind-set of the public officers who are more customer focused and prompt in serving the citizens.

During the workshop representatives of the CSU also made a presentation on the online portal. The CSP online platform which aims to provide a better service to address complaints and queries of citizens is part of a wider system to develop ways of bringing citizens’ experience of service delivery into planning and management of Government services. It also enables decision makers to adjust policies and programmes to influence outcomes on the ground.  

The access points of the CSP have been extended to 95 post offices in addition to 35 CAB across the island. The CSP has also been launched in Rodrigues. Since the launch of the portal in Mauritius, over 19 000 requests have so far been registered.