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PNP's poor public relations and missed opportunities
CHRIS BURNS
Monday, April 23, 2012
It was the late Michael Manley, I believe, who distinguished between the desire for political power and the reality of obtaining such power by reminding us that "when one is in Opposition one may say anything, but when one is in government it's a different sankey one has to sing". I am certain that Mr Manley did not mean for an Opposition party to become insensitive, coarse or impotent upon acquiring political power. He meant quite the contrary.
It is obvious, though, that many who claim to have sat at Manley's political feet, either did not hear or had no intention of yielding to his advice. For despite several pre-election utterances from the leadership collective of the People's National Party and the government, for that matter, about restoring traditional values and better governance, and of achieving greater levels of political civility, sensitivity and maturity, the Portia Simpson Miller-led PNP administration appears to be caught in a vortex of confusion about how to actualise these promises.
The confusion is being driven by the government's apparent inability to extricate itself from certain types of medieval political reactions and attitudes. I speak specifically about its handling of the Montego Bay "floppy flag" fiasco and its unimpressive and disorganised roll-out of the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP). Both events have portrayed an administration caught in the midst of deciding whether or not to ditch the tattered cloak of ugly partisan traditions or embrace political modernity.
It also appears that the new administration is too willing to dilute the potency of its pledge and mandate to uphold the intrinsic value of its "people power" theme and slogan.
But back to public relations: lest we forget, it was not so long ago that the government expended valuable time "bobbing and weaving" its way around a public relations quagmire that emanated from the so-called "Greek-style bailout" statement allegedly made by the prime minister during an interview with New York-based Bloomberg News.
That's why it is profusely unfathomable that the government has allowed the "floppy flag" fiasco in Montego Bay to become such an unnecessary and burdensome public relations albatross around its neck.
These episodes should remind us that running a political campaign is substantially dissimilar from managing the affairs of a country. Manley was right about what happens when a political party forms the government: "...it's a different sankey it has to sing". Put simply, government has to act differently because its audience is an entire country and the focus is about achieving inclusiveness and productive governance.
The government's mishandling of the "floppy flag" fiasco became evident from its fumbling, diffidence and dithering in crafting a swift but comprehensive response to the vulgar desecration of the Jamaican flag by political goons and partisan hacks. It is shameful that the government neither designed nor articulated a simple message of repudiation within 24 hours of "the story going viral". Instead, it attempted to spin and over-complicate things, only to produce a huge public relations disaster. Wonder who is in charge of public relations at Jamaica House?
The government missed an opportunity to use the Montego Bay "lemon" to make tasty lemonade. Oh, it's such a pity that pussyfooting overcame the administration and it became blinded by its own clumsiness in this regard. Its clumsy handling of the flag issue killed the news about the prime minister's excellent and substantive address to the 6th Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. It also killed the government's press release about its performance during the first 100 days in office, and it certainly dampened reactions to the prime minister's inclusion in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2012. The government could learn from Barack Obama's handling of the Jeremiah Wright church tapes that threatened to derail his 2008 presidential bid.
This brings me to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's response to the flag that formed the backdrop at the swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Glendon Harris. Instead of personally addressing the issue in an enlightened way and condemning the action, the prime minister sought to defend her government's handling of the matter by telling us that she instructed the party chairman as well as the local government minister to issue a statement. Well, I have news for you, Madam Prime Minister. The buck stops with you. It would not have harmed you one bit, had you chosen to repudiate the "sorry act" and publicly recommend that Mayor Harris recuse himself from council business until the investigations are completed.
One can reasonably infer, based on the prime minister's response, that the government does not understand the modern definition or purpose of public relations. Well, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as "a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organisations and their publics". The definition, according to the PRSA, emphasises and incorporates the concepts of "engagement and relationship building". The government could learn a few things about how not to manage its relationship and communication with the public in a top-down manner.
But even if the PNP applied a lower standard, or the more archaic definition of public relations, it still would have failed to "accentuate the positives and contextualise the negatives without lying or spinning the truth". And it is not only with the "floppy flag" fiasco that the government fumbled. JEEP has been characterised by all sorts of misstatements and false starts, all of which have sucked valuable fuel from the programme and have left the government looking confused. That said, there is a "balm in Gilead", but the governors must become more engaged with the governed, if they are serious about building mutually beneficial relationships.
Burnscg@aol.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1srn7FTOx
CHRIS BURNS
Monday, April 23, 2012
It was the late Michael Manley, I believe, who distinguished between the desire for political power and the reality of obtaining such power by reminding us that "when one is in Opposition one may say anything, but when one is in government it's a different sankey one has to sing". I am certain that Mr Manley did not mean for an Opposition party to become insensitive, coarse or impotent upon acquiring political power. He meant quite the contrary.
It is obvious, though, that many who claim to have sat at Manley's political feet, either did not hear or had no intention of yielding to his advice. For despite several pre-election utterances from the leadership collective of the People's National Party and the government, for that matter, about restoring traditional values and better governance, and of achieving greater levels of political civility, sensitivity and maturity, the Portia Simpson Miller-led PNP administration appears to be caught in a vortex of confusion about how to actualise these promises.
The confusion is being driven by the government's apparent inability to extricate itself from certain types of medieval political reactions and attitudes. I speak specifically about its handling of the Montego Bay "floppy flag" fiasco and its unimpressive and disorganised roll-out of the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP). Both events have portrayed an administration caught in the midst of deciding whether or not to ditch the tattered cloak of ugly partisan traditions or embrace political modernity.
It also appears that the new administration is too willing to dilute the potency of its pledge and mandate to uphold the intrinsic value of its "people power" theme and slogan.
But back to public relations: lest we forget, it was not so long ago that the government expended valuable time "bobbing and weaving" its way around a public relations quagmire that emanated from the so-called "Greek-style bailout" statement allegedly made by the prime minister during an interview with New York-based Bloomberg News.
That's why it is profusely unfathomable that the government has allowed the "floppy flag" fiasco in Montego Bay to become such an unnecessary and burdensome public relations albatross around its neck.
These episodes should remind us that running a political campaign is substantially dissimilar from managing the affairs of a country. Manley was right about what happens when a political party forms the government: "...it's a different sankey it has to sing". Put simply, government has to act differently because its audience is an entire country and the focus is about achieving inclusiveness and productive governance.
The government's mishandling of the "floppy flag" fiasco became evident from its fumbling, diffidence and dithering in crafting a swift but comprehensive response to the vulgar desecration of the Jamaican flag by political goons and partisan hacks. It is shameful that the government neither designed nor articulated a simple message of repudiation within 24 hours of "the story going viral". Instead, it attempted to spin and over-complicate things, only to produce a huge public relations disaster. Wonder who is in charge of public relations at Jamaica House?
The government missed an opportunity to use the Montego Bay "lemon" to make tasty lemonade. Oh, it's such a pity that pussyfooting overcame the administration and it became blinded by its own clumsiness in this regard. Its clumsy handling of the flag issue killed the news about the prime minister's excellent and substantive address to the 6th Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. It also killed the government's press release about its performance during the first 100 days in office, and it certainly dampened reactions to the prime minister's inclusion in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2012. The government could learn from Barack Obama's handling of the Jeremiah Wright church tapes that threatened to derail his 2008 presidential bid.
This brings me to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's response to the flag that formed the backdrop at the swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Glendon Harris. Instead of personally addressing the issue in an enlightened way and condemning the action, the prime minister sought to defend her government's handling of the matter by telling us that she instructed the party chairman as well as the local government minister to issue a statement. Well, I have news for you, Madam Prime Minister. The buck stops with you. It would not have harmed you one bit, had you chosen to repudiate the "sorry act" and publicly recommend that Mayor Harris recuse himself from council business until the investigations are completed.
One can reasonably infer, based on the prime minister's response, that the government does not understand the modern definition or purpose of public relations. Well, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as "a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organisations and their publics". The definition, according to the PRSA, emphasises and incorporates the concepts of "engagement and relationship building". The government could learn a few things about how not to manage its relationship and communication with the public in a top-down manner.
But even if the PNP applied a lower standard, or the more archaic definition of public relations, it still would have failed to "accentuate the positives and contextualise the negatives without lying or spinning the truth". And it is not only with the "floppy flag" fiasco that the government fumbled. JEEP has been characterised by all sorts of misstatements and false starts, all of which have sucked valuable fuel from the programme and have left the government looking confused. That said, there is a "balm in Gilead", but the governors must become more engaged with the governed, if they are serious about building mutually beneficial relationships.
Burnscg@aol.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1srn7FTOx
