Tuesday, November 24, 2020

You Are Who You Are

 

One of the stories that was going around the internet is a story of how our President Madam Halimah Yacob became the first person to make a donation to the Boy’s Brigade’s “Share-a-Gift” charity drive by scanning a QR code from a banking app. This would under normal circumstances be a run of the mill story. The President, in the Singapore context is a ceremonial figure, pretty much like the Queen in the UK. Like the Queen, she makes the news for simply being who she is and her role is pretty much, well limited to making public donations, waving to the public on special occasions and sitting there and looking pretty.

However, in this case someone decided to let the world know how much the President was donating. It turns out that this was a donation of $40 and it goes without saying that the Online media had a field day with it, pointing out that our president, who receives around $1,589,900 a year from the civil list (note that this is the President’s personal pay and not the other costs like staff and so on) was donating a mere $40. The story can be found at:

https://www.onlinecitizenasia.com/2020/11/19/halimah-who-earns-at-least-1-6m-donates-only-40-to-boys-brigade-charity-programme/

 

When the internet was set ablaze with the news of the President’s donation, there was a “clarification” the next day and it was reported that the president’s donation was “symbolic.”

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/s40-donation-president-halimah-event-symbolic-not-actual-contribution-boys-brigade

OK, I’m going to avoid talking about the merits of her donation and focus on the inept handling of the media messaging. Simply put – the people handling media relations for this president should be crucified for allowing the President to be placed in a situation where the amount of her donation was disclosed.

While one might argue that what she donates is her personal choice, the fact of the matter is, the woman is the President and as they say, when you become a public figure, particularly a well-financed one, you effectively become public property. Everything you do is newsworthy and if you choose to get involved with “charity” you need to be seen to be genuinely interested in that said charity. The late Princess Diana was a master of this. She always looked good for the media – if anything she looked a bit too good for anyone who had has been working on the ground. However, she always appeared to care, doing things like shaking hands of AIDS patients that elected politicians wouldn’t touch. She spoke up about things like landmines. Once again, nobody seriously thought Diana was going to clear landmines but the fact that she “championed” the cause made her, appear genuine. Our President’s PR people by contrast, were, well to put it charitably – lazy. Look, it’s no big deal if the President makes a financial donation other than the fact that it’s the president doing it. However, the inevitable reaction after that is to check if the amount because, well that says a lot about how genuine the president is about promoting that particular charity. I will also stress the point that while it was the President’s personal money to give, the fact remains, the president is paid by the public, which in turn means that the public has expectations of how the president will spend that money.

Secondly, it looks like the president’s PR people are still living in a world of one-way communications. They send a press release and a few snaps and the mainstream media dutifully publishes whatever they’re told to publish.

Well, it might have worked in the old days but these days, there is competition from online media. If the mainstream doesn’t do something interesting with a story, the online media will. The media landscape is no longer about one-way communication. Online communication is a dialogue. I, for example, do read the comments whenever a piece gets picked up by TRemeritus. Sure, not all the comments are agreeable but I still read and engage because, this is the nature of the world we live in. Comments will be made instantly, unlike the mainstream, where readers will have to write letters, which go through editors and so on and so on.

It looks like the President’s PR people didn’t take the fact that online media exists. Surely, they would have been aware that the guys from the online media would be willing to pounce on things.

I remember telling General Electric Commercial Finance that it was better for them to spend $10,000 organising a charity event like a day out for kids with ailments rather than giving the cash away. The client made the point that this was still cash. My counter was the fact that they had to remember they were part of GE, one of the world’s super large and wealthy corporations, where a cash donation of $10,000 make them look cheap. My advice to GE would apply to the President.

Then there was the clarification of this being “symbolic.” Perhaps it was but it made the president look defensive.

Then there’s the fact that there are other ways to make a difference. While the President has very little actual power, she does have authority as a head of state. What’s stopping her from becoming a champion of a good cause? She has the opportunity to do good for society in a non-partisan and non-political fashion. Donating a few bucks and saying it’s just symbolic is, well, if I’m being kind – pedestrian. Not enough for a head of state. Nobody expects her to donate her salary but at least look like you’re trying.

Too many of the people controlling the image of our powerful people appear stuck in the 1960s. Its time they realized that things have changed and if they were really doing their jobs, they’d adapt and live in the present to build the future instead of harking back to an old rule book, which may no longer be relevant.

 

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Maira Gall