S. Narinder Singh
Public relations (PR) is an important facet, which assumes and embraces all human activities. It deals both with public contact and communication. It has assumed status of a specialized field where trained professionals act as advisors and consultants. These professionals need to upgrade their knowledge and skills and familiarize themselves with new techniques and advancing technologies of communication.
Public relation is a major tool for image building, removing misunderstandings, presenting facts in a manner that maximum impact is made. It is dynamic concept which is used to devise strategies to suit situations and circumstances, for targeting specific audiences by using available means. A public relations professional should have knowledge about working of media, should know basics of human resource management, having communication skills, commitment and understanding of problem, supposed to be handled.
It is obvious that a good public relations is required in every walk of life. Public relations have assumed immense significance in every walk of life in the present day world. Though it reached its zenith in the west much earlier, yet this part of the world saw it flourish in a big way in mid 20th century only. The big business houses emulated the west and projected their enterprises to the targeted population by making optimum use of public relations skills. They have an art to feel the pulse of the public so as to respond accordingly.
At Government level, public relations remained in its infancy for decades together, mainly due to myopic policies that resulted into a drift between the public and administration. The policy planners failed to appreciate the proximity of administration and public relations, the net result of which was that the gap between the two kept on widening. Lack of proper dissemination of Government programmes and feedback portrayed the Government in bad light many a time.
There can’t be two opinions that the success of an administrator depends on his or her public relation skill. The more the PR, the more effective and popular the administrator will be. Regular flow of information, proper projection and dissemination are two essentials for any Government who have less critical media and an opposition which is not readily provided a handle to beat the Government. In general, Government do not appreciate the need to build up strong PR set up and instead keep on getting embroiled in one controversy after the other. PR and information and publicity are usually relegated to low priority areas.
PR work and lobbying for a Government or an issue is legitimate activity. Any administration in present day world can ill afford to ignore it. In USA it is a high professional used activity. The lobbying firms have to be registered with the justice department, if they want to influence decisions and policies of the administration or the Congress. Big names- former secretaries (Ministers), ambassadors, corporate CEO’s and like, get associated with them and then use their contacts and clout in interest of their clients. Fees of these lobbying firms run into millions of dollars. These firms are also used for image building of a leader, especially at times of elections when the stakes are really high.
In India, PR activity is spreading rapidly. The number of PR professionals now runs into thousands and there are many thousand companies undertaking this work.
The Jammu and Kashmir Government always faces multitude of problems- political, economic, social and administrative. It will do well if more attention is paid to improving its image by revamping, revitalizing and strengthening its public relations activities along professional lines spending a few crores on this will save millions elsewhere.
In public mind, secrecy and security forces seems to be synonymous. The armed forces in general but specially about actions they take or in war like situations, tend to keep all information under wraps except, which they feel should be given out. During Hazratbal and Charar-e-Sharif crisis, I managed international, national and local media, when Defense Ministry and State Government allowed easy access to world media to see, report and show real war like situations. With strides that technology has taken in field of communication and the countrywide demand for right to information, the authorities will have to revise their attitude, lay down new norms confirming to needs of changing times and demands of psychological war fare.
Youths, students and educations is an area which has potential both as engine of vitality, dynamism and advancement on one hand, and as a latent volcanic holding within its bosom, anger, violence and destruction even revolution. Constant and continuous communication with the youth and good sustained public relations with them can produce positive results and build valuable reserves of national energy.
PRs form the core of civil administration. No administration can function in isolation without constant inputs and feedback from the public. This can be had only through an effective and efficient handling of PR to elicit public mood to re-orient the policies of the civil administration as per the feedback. PRs by remaining as a constant mouth-piece of the functioning of the civil administration can be of immense help to it and keeping with the constant liaison with the changing public perception, removing short-comings, directing the organs of the administration to thrust areas and thereby eliciting public co-operation to a large extent. It may be worthwhile to note that the first concept of PR having a role in the effective functioning of the management had come into focus in the middle of 18th century when the industrial revolution in Great Britain was on the anvil. The prolonged strike in a coal mine company in Birmingham could not be handled by the management for want of proper mechanism, which was due to the lack of effective public relations of the coal companies. The coal miners had gone on a strike to force their demands that interest of the coal workers should be properly represented in the management. The management had been refusing the right of participation for the coal workers in it on the plea that their job lay only in the mines and not in the management. It was at this stage that one Robart came forward and sought a road to narrow down the differences between the management and miners. He patiently listened to the viewpoints of both, minimized their differing approach and broadened the areas of agreement to narrow down their differences. Broadly speaking, role of PR’s is said to have begun at this time, which was later expanded with scientific approach. So, it developed as a concept.
PR has been abundantly used to sort out various vexed issues between the parties. A good PR person can always play wonders and achieve desired results. Therefore, if the PR skill is properly utilized there is no doubt that the Government will be able to acquaint the people about the policies and programmes that are being implemented for their welfare. It can also get a feedback, dwelling on the trends of the time and the mood among the people at a particular point of time. This will certainly help to address the problems of people more effectively.
In a democratic setup, transparency is necessary for credibility of any institution. And the administrators should not ignore this aspect. Some of the administrators in the mistaken belief of serving the administration conceal facts and end up in damaging its interest. They seldom appreciate its fall out, which at times give rise to suspicions that tints the administration dark.
As we know, J&K is passing through a very difficult period in the wake of terrorism unleashed from across the border. In such a situation, some over enthusiastic administrators at times create such a mess while giving twist to the facts that gives leverage to the enemy’s propaganda. Truth unfortunately falls prey to concoction and the credibility of the administration becomes causality. This has to be avoided. We don’t need to conceal anything from our people. If people are taken into confidence, even about the mistakes committed by any wing of the administration, they may perhaps accept these with an open mind. Admissions of facts will certainly enhance the credibility of administration among the people and they will not give heed to propaganda. Here comes the role of PR which the administrators have to have in good measure.
(The author is former Director Information J&K State)
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