The Art of Covering Up: The Government’s Sneaky Tricks

Introduction

The government is often perceived as a transparent entity that keeps the citizens informed of its actions. However, the reality is far from it. Quite often, the government resorts to sneaky ways to conceal its actions and pass them off as something entirely different. Here are some of the sneaky tricks the government uses to cover up its actions.

The Meat Grinder of Bureaucracy

One of the ways the government masks its actions is through the use of bureaucracy. Often, the proceedings of the government are tangled up in paperwork and documents, all of which are shrouded in red tape. Unless you are willing to hire a lawyer to help untangle the mess of legal jargon and document sequences, you will not find any information of value. Thorough familiarity with bureaucracies, laws, rules, and procedures are the prerequisites in trying to understand any action or policy of the government. This enables them to justify or misrepresent their actions in case they are questioned.

Maintaining Public Focus

Another tactic governments use is to shift the public’s focus away from the situation or topic altogether. Whenever an issue raises its ugly head, the government positions its PR machinery to flurry the media with insignificant news stories that gain the populace’s attention but are hardly newsworthy. Hence, diverting focus to trivial issues overshadows defining events that would have forced the government’s hand. For example, the news of a popular royal wedding may capture the populace’s attention but an unpopular economic policy introduced simultaneously may go overlooked by the masses.

The Review Committee’s Vagueness

The last technique that the government uses is setting up multiple review committees. These committees are relatively less transparent and tend not to publish inquiries’ comments without giving adequate reasons or presenting who drafted them. Therefore the government gets a distinct window of opportunity to state only those areas in inquiry that sideline honesty issues, and those parts that insidiously support the government tend to remain unpublished.

Conclusion

The government undoubtedly excels at covering up instances of corruption, disciplinary proceedings or wrongful behavior pertaining to any governmental agency; making it easier for those in power to continue doing so. As governments continue to conceal their actions, citizens need to be vigilant and aware enough to ask compelling questions. Governments need to be transparent and honest with their people to build trust and accountability.