by Jassim Ibrahim Fakhro
“I hear, I see, I speak... help us to get to all those who are corrupt... O dishonest individuals, the law will catch up with you eventually!”
These strong words were contained in an announcement by the public prosecutor — anti-corruption office — just as they are, without even an introduction.
We are well acquainted with such statements. Not even camels behave this way! Not surprisingly, there were many tweets in reply to the announcement, so I will not say more than what has been already said. But I would like to broach the subject with some professionalism!
Does the public prosecutor, who represents law and order, think that an issue of this magnitude can be resolved through a newspaper announcement, without giving people even an idea of what is expected from them?
Anything related to the public or society in general should be well thought of so that it doesn’t have negative consequences, and this is what happened with this truncated campaign!
The idea of public relations is to arrange matters according to plans and strategies to reach the desired goal. I tried to convince myself about this announcement, but I am sorry to say that it was impossible.
What was the purpose behind the ad? What is the concept of corruption in the mind of the public prosecutor? Any public relations campaign must have a vision, mission and objectives, and proper implementation. Where does all this stand in relation to reporting about corruption?
What type of corruption are we talking about and at what level? Does the state have the environment to convince the public of its seriousness or offer true examples in order to stir the people’s conscience and motivate them to do their share? Frankly speaking, the stories we have heard are not very encouraging.
Did the public prosecutor hold a press conference to convey the desire for people’s participation in its war against corruption? There is no doubt that what happened was an inappropriate effort, because it wasn’t clear.
The result is that the reputations of both the state and its auditing system were put at stake. Everything and everyone is eventually linked to the state, individuals and organisations.
This stated declaration created a confusion the state is not in need of, causing resentment among people, and this was to be expected because the responsible person who directed the publication of this announcement did not do his duty properly, since it was premature, and like a drop in the ocean, since it will not achieve the aims of the public prosecutor.
It would have been better to prepare the public by clarifying the idea through a well-planned public relations campaign.
There are a lot of companies who specialise in conveying ideas with style, which could have saved the reputation of the state and the public prosecutor.
Please give importance to specialisation! What has happened is good material for a case study for students of public relations.
