By Kabelo Mollo
Pretty much any relationship advice I’ve read or heard about spearheads communication as the apex tool in a successful partnership. That advice extends beyond romantic relationships to friendships and even employee/employer relations.
Communication is sacrosanct in these partnerships particularly where the longevity needs to be preserved. I’ve shied away from talking about this matter for a while now but I feel I must wade in to this treacherous territory. Our government is a pretty poor communicator. There’s a famous saying that “The revolution will not be televised”, it’d seem this revolution won’t even be spoken about.
Last week I was beside myself with disappointment as our Prime Minister attended a very important and indeed significant meeting in Pretoria. The BNC which PM Matekane and Pres. Ramaphosa chair has the potential to change many Basotho lives. Interactions with our only neighbour are vital affairs that ought to be given the relevant up to the minute coverage they deserve.
On the South African side, the presidency’s Twitter account was offering a blow-by-blow account of all that was going on, with videos, pictures as well as texts alike. On the Lesotho side, nothing. The contrast was so stark that it became a touch embarrassing. Social media is The Great leveller. It provides instant access and the opportunity for real time updates. It’s also virtually free and shouldn’t be difficult to leverage. Why then is our PMs account so sporadic in disseminating information?
This is not an attack on our PMs social media but rather a plea, a desperate plea, for all our government agencies as well as the actual government to communicate better. Take the populace in to your confidence. If social media is still a foreign construct, then even traditional media platforms can be used.
I know many will be wondering what I’m on about when they do regular newspaper interviews or have LNBS present for events but that’s not what I’m talking about. In many countries around the world, it is normal and acceptable for ministers, high ranking government officials from the judiciary, or treasury or even foreign service to have informal briefings with members of the media. It is done in the main to keep the members of the fourth estate abreast of the goings on in the country so that they might have a handle on the discourse as they go about their daily routines. With greater granular knowledge the media are better able to present the discourse without shaping the narrative to their own liking.
The media is not the enemy of the executive nor is it the enemy of politicians though you wouldn’t guess it looking at how stand offish so many politicians behave towards some sections of journos in the country. I think the two camps actually have a symbiotic relationship. Yes, the two can pull from both ends, but your adversary need not be your enemy. In the same way politicians are able to cosy up with opposition party members they should be able to share a kinship with members of the media. I’m not talking about the type where there’s Brown envelopes involved or a master/servant dynamic. I’m talking about the kind with mutual respect, boundaries and understanding that they serve the same master that being the ordinary person on the street.
So back to our government and their communication. I assumed we’d have effective communication from what I presumed would be a tech savvy executive. I’d have thought we’d have regular briefings, and updates on what the revolution for prosperity was up to and why. But information has been scant. In politics if you didn’t tell us something happened, then it didn’t. If you overhype it and shout it from the rooftops then not only Did it happen, but all of us were there when and where it happened. For us to have a successful relationship with the government, we need to communicate. Said communication needs to be led by the government.
I hope this column will be read with the tone it is meant in and not any other… I rest.
