Prime
Covid-19: Let critical messages be clear
What you need to know:
The issue: Public confusion
Our view: The President should also strike a balance between his directives taking immediate effect and a brief delay
that allows line agencies such as security forces to prepare themselves to oversee and implement the same.
Anyone could have guessed what was to follow after the President announced, in his 13th national address on Covid-19, that business operations, including of car garages, would resume. Confusion. Running battles. And a minister issuing a clarification.
This appears to have become normal every after presidential address, one of the most listened to and watched since March 20. The first time a nationwide lockdown as a measure to combat the spread of coronavirus was announced, security agents engaged the public in running battles.
The president was forced to clarify and warn against molestation of civilians by security forces. Several people had been left with grievous body injuries and a few security personnel were arrested and charged in courts of law over the matter. The government had to admit that security forces had misinterpreted the president’s message.
One would think lessons were learned. But not even close. Following Monday’s address, confusion and confrontation between mechanics and dealers on the one hand, and security forces on the panned out as predicted.
Security forces are mandated to oversee public adherence to the law, and in a national emergency such as we are in, the health guidelines and measures. Like any agency would, security interprets the president’s message as expected of their guardedness.
So why must every directive by the president need a clarification? The government is not doing enough in dissemination of messages. Every time a message causes confusion in the public and security, with each side insisting it was following the right directive, it means miscommunication.
Yet this is avoidable. For good measure, the communications experts who are paid by the taxpayers to disseminate government stand, must show they are earning their pay. Every agency or sector addressed by the president must have its line supervisors follow up on the directives with explanatory messages for public good.
The President should also strike a balance between his directives taking immediate effect and a brief delay that allows line agencies such as security forces to prepare themselves to oversee and implement the same. A day’s time line might sound too long but if it will allow responsible agencies time to effectively communicate how they will go about the directives, then that can save the public the confusion.
We must not wait for tragedy to occur because of confusion in interpreting the president’s directives.
