THE DISASTER THAT IS A UPND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM- Macphersson Mutale

Macphersson Mutale writes…

THE DISASTER THAT IS A UPND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

“Watching the Vice President last night on a local channel was not just disheartening but also disturbing, making one wonder if we are in safe hands.

The problem is not the VEEP, the problem is the entire UPND administration communication system. There seem to be no strategy and unit of purpose. Everyone says and does what they want and there seem to be no control whatsoever.

I have no problem with the VEEP being unable to answer questions in areas she is not competently qualified to do so. However I have a problem with the VEEP calling for an interview and come so unprepared as though she was just woken up from bed without knowing what was happening.

The VEEP is not just a deputy president, she is also the leader of government business in the legislature. Her office should be one of the most informed and competent in the land. There is no excuse for failure to have basic facts about any ministry and government operations.

All those around her office, this is an inditement on their part. Their role is to ensure the VEEP is preped and well tutored in what should happen. In such cases we do mock up interviews with our principals just to ensure they are ready and prepared for what is ahead.

If at all you detect that your principal is not ready, you can either request for the interview to be postponed or ask the interviewer not to venture on a particular subject of interest.

What is even more concerning is the fact that, the entire UPND communication system doesn’t seem to have a strategy. From the political party to those working in the administration, there seem to be no clear rules of engagement.

One moment you have consultants speaking on behalf of the party, the next moment it’s the SG and his vice who both seem to be lost in a maze of political hullabaloo.

The government communication system is not inspiring either. The chief government spokesperson gets so politically charged that he forgets he is representing government positions and tends to speak like a political cadre.

Then you have the State House communication apparatus, which has been formless since Anthony left. It’s even confusing to know who is in charge of political communication at that level.

The entire UPND administration communication system is a disaster. It’s not like there are no competent people in the party. They actually have some of the most astute communicators I know.

It’s the strategy and the structures that are formless. No one is in charge and controlling how official positions should be communicated. They just allow anyone to vent and parrot even when their rants could cause damage to the party and the administration.

A ruling political party like the UPND should at this stage understand how to use reinforcement of political communication, the role of agenda setting, framing and priming.

Perhaps, with all the internal, external and natural shocks we expect to weigh heavily on our fragile economy, this maybe the right time for the UPND to constitute a strong, credible, effective and competent communication team to help manage information flow.

In a country where there is abundant political communication snipers and propagandists, you need to have a robust communication network to counter the falsehoods and misinformation that could ruin what you are trying to build.

Notwithstanding, incompetence and ineffectiveness can not be covered by the best communication strategists. We also need the ministers and all senior government officials to pull up their socks to ensure timely and efficient delivery of public services to the general populace.”