The Prime Minister’s Office has established a hotline for the general public to utilize, if and when members of the community wish to be heard about concerns they may have on financial matters.
Thanks to Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, the Ministry of Finance has opened a hotline ‘1519’ so that members of the public now have a proper channel to direct their concerns towards. According to the ministry, ‘1519’ has been activated as of April 7th.
Concerns raised by the public will be discussed by relevant officials on “Finance and Development”, a television programme broadcasted via Lao Public Security Television every Friday from 20:30-21:00 and every Saturday from 07:00-07:30.
Comments and complaints will also be addressed on Lao Public Security Radio 105.5 MHz every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 12:30 to 13:00.
In addition, the ministry’s response to the issues will be published in the weekly Finance Newspaper, Vientiane Mai daily, Pasaxon daily, Pathetlao daily and Lao Phatthana daily newspapers.
Towards the end of 2016, the government launched hotline 1516 to encourage the public to provide suggestions and feedback regarding government performance.
Observers commended the initiative, however stressed that it was equally important to ensure the issues raised by the people are taken seriously and addressed in a timely and efficient manner for it to be effective.
Several government bodies currently operate hotlines, encouraging citizens to raise issues or concerns and seek explanations from the relevant bodies. These include the National Assembly (NA), which operates its own hotline ‘156’ during its ordinary sessions.
