masterwordsmith-unplugged

The various headlines of online news portals and MSM tell us one thing - that our political parties are in a crisis situation. A crisis can be any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of a group usually brought on by adverse or negative media attention. Politicians from BOTH sides of the divide have been affected either directly or indirectly. Naturally, any onlooker is likely to conclude that response to the crisis situations have been far from appropriate.


There is one difference though - whilst the BN may be getting the brunt of adverse media attention, we must remember that they have at their disposal, professional consultants to steer them out of troubled waters. Obviously, PR practitioners can attest to the fact that if a crisis situation is handled correctly, the damage can be minimized.

The most crucial remedy to a crisis such as in the PKFZ scandal and many other controversies plaguing our political landscape is for the authorities to tell it all, tell it fast and ultimately tell the truth. Now if they can succeed in doing that, then I am sure BN will win in the next GE.

The question is, are they willing to tell all and to tell the truth. If not, why?

Many may be numbed by the horrifying amounts involved in the various controversies. If the authorities are also as concerned, they should be aware of what actions to be taken.

For instance, once the scandal emerged, those authorities concerned should have created a team that comprise of key personnel such as the CEO, Public Relations Manager, and all the staff who were directly or indirectly involved in the situation that has brought about the crisis or any one else such as lawyers and others who might be able to shed some light on the situation such as eye witnesses.

The next step would be a plan of action and appointment of the spokesperson to speak with the media. Obviously, the Public Relations personnel should have a PR pack ready that includes a summary of key personnel involved and an official summary of the situation.

Clearly, our politicians are ill-advised as to how to tackle bad media publicity because many of the statements they make independently cannot really protect the integrity and reputation of the party and could be doing the opposite!

As we see the various developments, rarely do we see OFFICIAL announcements/clarifications for the crisis situation such as in the Selangor DAP spat. The individuals concerned issue statements that project the impression that they are more intent on protecting their own turf than that of the party.

Shouldn't the parties concerned have an internal disciplinary meeting and/or enquiry and to advise members NOT to speak to the press until all is resolved?

When members are not disciplined, naturally they will do and say whatever suits their whims and fancies and I am speaking objectively. I feel so disappointed that some cannot observe basic decorum. Granted that in this IT era, information can be transmitted speedily with the click of the mouse but that should only impress upon them the need for uniformity and consistency in the official messages that are broadcast to the public.

It is the same with the status quo. We all know that our PM has mooted the 1Malaysia. Putting aside our feelings for 1Malaysia, I am appalled that a former PM can be speaking negatively about 1Malaysia (with the DPM agreeing with him) while our Prime Minister is ON LEAVE!!! I believe that this should be addressed face to face when the PM is around and not in this way. Click HERE for a report on this issue.

Does that not reflect badly on those who made those statements?

At least one faithful soldier defended the PM. Let's look at Nazri's response from The Malaysian Insider:

Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz defended the Najib administration’s 1 Malaysia concept today, claiming that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed was in “no position” to criticise the government slogan as Malaysians have yet to understand the latter’s own “Bangsa Malaysia” slogan.

The former prime minister said on Monday that 1 Malaysia needed further “explanation” to prevent it from being interpreted differently by various races.

“What is the true issue here? What is the fuss? If there was no need to explain Bangsa Malaysia back when he was prime minister, why does Dr Mahathir now want the government to explain 1 Malaysia? We don’t even understand what is Bangsa Malaysia about, the purpose of his concept,” said the minister in the prime minister’s department.

I am really aghast with horror as to how different people are approaching crisis situations. And that is only ONE example of how a situation is being handled.

On one hand, we all know that one must never try to lie, deny or hide involvement in an issue but this means telling the truth and how many are ready to do that? A good example would be the PKFZ scandal.

Some say ignorance is bliss but if you ignore the situation, it will only get worse. A classic example is the Selangor DAP issues.

Any decision that is made wrongly, even with good intentions may cause the crisis to escalate.

The cause of almost all crises fall into two broad categories:

One would be overt acts to cover up and the other would be acts of omission in disclosure of information.

The rakyat always want reports on issues of competence or lack thereof in matters of public perception. If a mistake has been made, just admit it up front and work hard to re-establish credibility and confidence with the rakyat. A good example can be found HERE where Immigration director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman put his head on the chopping block over two break-outs at the Sepang Immigration Detention Centre by his statement, "IF I have not delivered, then I am prepared to face the consequences."

Crisis situations are true tests for our politicians or anyone for that matter. How we handle ourselves in the middle of a crisis reflects our character. Unfortunately, we never know for sure how well we'll do or what to do until the situation arises. However, simple common sense tells us that all of us can prepare ourselves in principle.

In the first place, as public servants, avoid a crisis by practising competency, accountability and transparency in all deliberations and transactions. If a crisis situation arises, the parties concerned must quickly address and resolve crisis issues before they escalate.

For example, when RPK talked about The Bizarre Case of Sodomy 2, DPP Farah Azlina Latif wasremoved from the prosecution team in Anwar Ibrahim's current sodomy trial and from the prosecution division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers to avoid negative public perception of the prosecution team in the wake of his allegation that she is romantically involved with lead witness Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan (as reported by TheSun HERE). Imagine what would have happened if nothing was done. At the same time, that move raised many questions as well!

Suffice to say, many situations have not been handled well by various parties from both sides of the divide. It is about time they read up on public relations strategies (no need to spend millions of RM from tax payers' money) to seek possible ways to turn any crisis into an opportunity of conquest.

Until and unless they learn to do so, I guess we will have to sit back and observe how some will be sinking in the quicksand of disgrace and booby traps laid by their so-called peers or even enemies. The best defense is a good offense but the players still insist on playing their defense in worn-out ways that proved futile in the past by proclaiming innocence or singing the song of denial. They have to look for a new opportunity in the middle of a crisis. Then only can they move from crisis to conquest!