Why many presidential candidates are doomed to failure

Ong Hock Chuan Partner PT Maverick Solusi Komunikasi Jakarta

The good news in the 2004 presidential elections is that many politicians have woken up to the fact that they have to be more savvy in managing their public image because Indonesia is, in spite of all its imperfections, a thriving democracy where public opinion matters.

As a result, politicians have been busily inviting public relations consultants to pitch for handling their campaign communications. The more forward-thinking ones have already appointed their image gurus.

The bad news, however, is that very few of them will be successful in translating their realization of the need for a modern, sophisticated electoral campaign into reality. As a result, all they will have achieved once the final votes have been tallied is a humiliating electoral defeat and a huge hole in their considerable wallets.

There are many reasons that contribute to an ineffective electoral campaign but my experience has been that the main one is because these politicians are surrounded by unprofessional aides and advisors, who are not as interested in seeing their leader win as in lining their own pockets.

For instance, a public relations consultancy I know of was recently appointed by a very prominent politician to help him spruce up his image. The politician was extraordinary because he was honest about his own shortcomings. He knew that he came across as lackluster because of a very poor public speaking style. He wanted to improve himself and his electoral chances by being coached on a more effective style of delivery.

Like most people in his position, he left it to his advisors to appoint the consultancy and work out the financial arrangements. They, of course, asked for hefty commissions. One of the advisors was his own close relative but even he was looking out for Number One instead of his boss.

Up close, the consultants observed that it was a hopeless situation. His advisors were constantly making recommendations to him of measures ostensibly to benefit him but in reality to line their pockets. Thus, several hagiographic pieces were published about him that were badly written and presented in such a way as to contain not a shred of credibility. In spite of this, however, thousands of copies of the books were printed and handed out free to all and sundry.

His relative owned an "advertising agency" that makes its money producing banners and designing and placing newspaper advertisements. So guess what his recommendations to improve the politician's image consisted of?

With money being the driving factor, such communications campaigns are usually devoid of strategy but full of banners, advertisements, posters and other collateral that send out mixed messages.

If politicians are serious about mounting an effective electoral campaign they should take their communications seriously. They should not allow their dubious underlings to advise and handle the campaign communications. They should roll up their sleeves and find a communications advisor themselves.

If they are lucky enough to find one that knows what he or she is doing then they should treat them as a partner and listen to their advice closely. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's working relationship with his communications director, Alistair Campbell, for example, took him to Downing Street and helped him win the hearts and minds of many Britons.

Communications advisors worth their salt will set about bringing focus to the campaign. The problem with the campaigns of many politicians is that they lack focus. As a result, no one is really sure what they stand for or what their vision for the country might be. In moments of confusion, as in Indonesia, people want to see a leader, someone with vision, someone who can take charge, someone who inspires confidence and trust.

It may sound Machiavellian, but a good public relations practitioner can go a long way to helping create the perception of such attributes in a politician, provided that the politician is willing to listen and act on the advice. But while the public relations person can help package politicians, they are still limited by two major factors: Time, and the caliber of the candidates themselves.

As to the former, no matter how brilliant the campaign communications strategy might be, it takes time to build an image. Some things cannot be hurried or they begin to ring hollow. Presidential candidate Amien Rais, for example, gets full marks for trying to build his appeal to a younger audience, but hanging out with Slank and singing one of their songs? Eek!

As to the latter, the plain truth is that many of the presidential candidates are made of poor stuff. At best they are devoid of charisma; at worst they are not even likable. No amount of image massaging and packaging is going to help them. The best thing is for them to stare truth in the face and save themselves a lot of angst and money by withdrawing gracefully.

Refusal would mean resorting to spin doctoring which, as any respectable PR practitioner will attest to, is the last resort of the desperate trying to sell the unsellable. It convinces no one and simply gives the remaining communications consultants a bad name.

Maverick is a PR consultancy specializing in issues and crisis management as well as brand strategy.