INspire

UPND playing a game of porker

by mazuba mwiinga

A coin has two sides; the head and the teller. And whichever side you choose, its either you lose or you win. That’s the game of porker. That’s how gambling works. And that’s what politicians need to know.

Sad isn’t it; hearing politicians declaring journalists their number one enemies. What do you achieve as a politician to threaten violence on a messenger? Young as we are, we were told that hate the message but not the messenger. A journalist is a mere conduit of the facts that mirror reality. Venting their anger on journalists is nothing but pure ignorance of how the media works.

By the way; if I may ask what would make you so much annoyed over a newspaper story if you know that it’s all lies? Only that which embarrasses us because it’s been known to the public, is the one that can make us so much annoyed.; that which does not take center stage in our lives because it’s not true even when published a thousand times, does not affect us not even an inch.

Have we forgotten the old saying the guilt ones are always afraid? All what politicians need to do is work on their publicity and PR departments. MMD today despite being so much un popular continues beating other Parties because their publicity department has been manned by people who fully understand the media and how to work with it. People like VJ are well known professional information spinners. In politics you need intelligent, creative and funny people in information departments; People who can use negative information for their own benefits.

But looking at UPND and PF; I see a sorry state of affairs. People given these departments are pure politicians with a sole aim of pleasing their bosses instead of telling their bosses the Party’s falling side and suggest the best ways to tackle the issues through media messages. Political messages are not just copy and paste as if you are selling a shoe. Political messages need a certain touch that can sweep a cadre from another Party, off his feet without knowing that he has actually changed camp.

Spinners are less emotional, but always take criticism with a smile and use the same criticism to hit back. But our publicity men are full of arrogance, pride and too much boot licking to the extent that they forget their job and end up doing and saying what will please their bosses.

If they want media attention, they need to attract the media with a good attitude too and understand that the media’s job is to gather information and report it the way it was found. So like UPND if they part relations with The Post, who is going to report on them; The Times of Zambia or Daily Mail or ZNBC? My foot! Why would these waste their space on UPND when they can’t even use all Rupiah’s stories because of lack of space? When the media seems not to favor you, go talk to the editorial team and find out why a particular story mis- represent you. Cackling in the public like chickens whose mother has been taken away by the hawk, won’t help you.

Truth should be known to them that, no one wins an election without the media. No one! UPND’s move is a pure game of porker; Heads or teller?