Panic has set in with the Coalition Govt.

May 26, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,

It is becoming quite clear, based on a series of revealing comments from some senior government ministers over the past month that panic and despair are starting to take hold within the coalition government. This is due largely to the President’s public support for the alleged misconduct of the Minister of State and his rejection of the AFC’s demands to reduce some of his powers which points to obvious signs of internal disquiet..This along with the blatant nepotism and arrogance being practiced by the government suggests that they are making the same mistakes of the past.
Many in the cabinet are sensing, at a psychological level, that they are already in defeatist mode from which there is usually no immediate return. Winning elections always begin with the adoption of a winning mindset but the Local Government Election (LGE)results proved otherwise for the government. Its dismal showing at the LGE is due largely to its failure to communicate effectively with the people. It seems that the government is obviously on a sinking ship and many are already looking for a quick way to get rich. Their cardinal sin has been their stubbornness to recognize that the key to political success in this media-driven age of the early 21st century lies in adopting an effective method to communicate with the people. Ignoring them will be costly.
The persistent reluctance by members of the cabinet to meaningfully engage the people at home and in the diaspora on a consistent basis is contemptuous and snobbish. They have conveyed the impression that they do not see governing as a partnership with the people whose support is critical to their success. They have alienated the people which explains why the public goodwill and trust that brought them to power have dissipated. Some in the wider public are critical of the constant and lavish overseas trips by senior government officials at the expense of the taxpayers who are not getting their money’s worth from those trips.
What has passed for communication under this government has basically involved the president addressing Parliament, sloppy speeches and the occasional Press releases that often address issues of little interest to the general populace. If the government is foolish enough to believe that it still has the overwhelming influence over the people as it had a year ago, it will be disappointed.
Since taking office, the government has become very secretive with little or no transparency or accountability as promised. Political Scientists have posited that it is ill-advised for the government to ignore some of the basic principles of politics and effective communication methods. This is the predicament facing the government as it attempts at this eleventh hour to improve relations with the people. Its lack of vision for not engaging the people has dampened their spirit.
Not long after when the government assumed power, it ceased displaying the same commitment and enthusiasm to communicate with the people as it did when in opposition. The president did not set the tone for his administration and he did not capitalize on the tremendous public goodwill that had existed a year ago. The government was not serious about ensuring that its communication machinery fired on all cylinders. Therefore the backlash which it is experiencing today is a case of the chickens coming home to roost.
Having failed to define the issues, solve the problems and set the agenda, the government finds itself in a quandary today, reacting to criticisms by others which place it in a negative position of being on the defensive and reacting instead of being proactive. With no effective communication strategy, and with no real plans or policies in place to develop the economy, create jobs and reduce crime, the credibility of the government is in tatters as it finds itself in no-man’s land, hoping for the situation to change. But there can be no smooth and easy recovery unless the government effects meaningful change and treat the people with respect.
Observer (name supplied)

1 thoughts on “Panic has set in with the Coalition Govt.”

Arthur Young May 26, 2016 at 8:45 am

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history” – Aldous Huxley.