Dear Editor,
There are too many Public Relations people around in different guises in the state sector; this extends to government propaganda channels in private/social media sectors, too. This society would be better served if we replace them with Ethics Officers. The problem is who and where, and which government leader is principled enough to want them around and give them a free hand to set robust standards, go wherever breaches lead, and bring to book those who responsible, regardless how senior or connected. If government is serious about accountability and transparency, in the operations and oversight of the business of the people’s business, then leaders would listen and act accordingly. PR people have their roles, but they have grown, or deteriorated, into professional political mercenaries, who justify their existence and come into own, when dispatched to engage in hit and run blitzkriegs against critical citizens, or verbal hits on those found objectionable by political masters. Having encountered those infrequently over the years, under one government after another, I can so attest with accuracy. They have a dirty job to do and there is some sympathy for them; though they can be occasionally intellectually dishonest, they still have families to feed.
Nonetheless, I am forced to ask: why do governments and leaders and ministers need public relations? They never had them in days gone by. With rare exceptions, the only products of government are performance and service. Governments don’t make anything that requires selling or defending. I would argue that government has not gotten more complicated, nor the political party does not matter, or the place. But with the massive expansion of leadership and ministerial deviousness and conspiracies, there is significant demand for people who are good at cover-ups to deliver camouflages. This has led to the equivalent of those ancient cricket teams from the subcontinent (no racial slight intended) that were all spin and flight and guile, with plenty of turn and bounce. Instead of Prasanna, Bedi, and Chandrasekhar, Guyana has PR Units, PR Departments, and PR Officers galore. What this society direly needs are clean messages based on cleaner standards as managed and delivered by the cleanest people around. Guyana cries out for Ethics Officers. There is a serious problem: they must be ethical people, and those are in the shortest supply here. They must be neutral and fearless, which is another grave problem. If we can find them, install them, and set them loose, this country could do much better with truths, monies, values, and standards.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
