Ministry of Information to set up Rapid Response Unit for quick updates during crisis

A Rapid Response Unit will be set up by the Ministry of Information to provide timely and factual updates to the public during crises and natural disasters.

Minister for Information, Lynda Tabuya revealed the plan during fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan, stressing that the new unit will deliver information through radio, SMS and social media platforms, ensuring that people no longer have to wait for press conferences.

Tabuya says that during times of crisis, communication must be quick, factual, brief and easy to understand.

She acknowledged that not everyone has internet access, and the Ministry is committed to sharing information clearly, honestly and efficiently across multiple platforms.

When asked how the government plans to deal with fake news, Tabuya says the Ministry will need to strengthen its capacity by bringing in expertise to detect deepfakes and AI-generated content.

She says they will also need multilingual experts who can translate critical updates into different languages, ensuring no community is left behind.

The Minister says as the government they need to build the government portal, to provides updates.

Tabuya says the government must prioritise the people to build trust, acknowledging public frustration about not receiving enough timely information in the past. The Minister stressed that the unit will also provide real-time updates on essential services, such as no power or water for days.

She says they cannot let people just become used to not having power or water for days because these are essential services, and people deserve to know in advance if there will be interruptions, even if it’s due to unavoidable issues like a burst pipe.

She further says to strengthen preparedness, the Ministry also plans to conduct a mock drill in the coming weeks in collaboration with the Water Authority of Fiji, the National Disaster Management Office, and other agencies.

Tabuya says this will test how quickly and effectively they can share real-time updates with the public.

The Minister also stressed that authorities need to work with the Ministry if they are planning any outage and how they will respond to it.