Khalaf Al-Harbi
WHAT worries me is the sarcasm that greeted the recent statements of the housing minister wherein he said the housing problem is a matter of thinking. It may scare other ministers from dealing with the media out of fear that if they make any statement, they may be subject to cynical comments by the public.
Therefore, any minister may find the policy “complete silence” the only way to evade sarcastic reactions. By such an attitude, the ministers will be safe from the video clips on the social media that focus on certain mistakes or take their statements out of real context.
If our ministers offer their backs to the media, we will face a real problem which will have negative impact on the country’s development plans. All ministers must come out in the open, speak about their achievements and future plans and talk to the public about the issues concerning their ministries.
There is a blanket-clear royal directive to the ministers to reply to questions from journalists and to provide information to the public about the issues concerning their ministries.
Public reactions, which may be angry or cynical at times, are only natural. They are, in fact, a feature of vibrant societies. These reactions cannot be predicted if the ministers’ statements are positive or negative.
As labor minister, Adel Fakeih faced ferocious attacks from some quarters but he went ahead with his plan to offer jobs to women. He did not bend down to these attacks which were damaging most of the time. Fakeih dealt with the hostile campaign with a spirit of responsibility and confidence. He did not consider them a deterring factor. He never retracted or acquiesced.
Ministers of foreign affairs and commerce are experts in dealing with the media. The mental image about the two of them is good despite their continued presence in the newspapers and the social media.
Their continued presence in the media may encourage the people who are fond of hunting for mistakes to fish for any slip of the tongue to devour the minister.
However, the two ministers were not held back by the mistake hunters and continued their presence in the media without any fear. This is enough proof that the intensified appearance before the media tools is not always harmful but may be very useful sometimes.
The minister of education is heavily present in the media but half of his presence is justified and the other half is not. He only appears in the media just for the sake of being present.
The minister was heavily attacked but he was not deterred. He continued to appear before the media as if nothing had happened. He is also following what is being printed in the newspapers and reacts with the citizens and the staff of his ministry through his Twitter account.
The minister of health was harshly criticized for suggesting that camels are the main carriers of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS- CoV). Camels owners attacked him bitterly but he would not give up his responsibility toward public health just because of the angry reactions against him.
There are ministers who never come out to the media to the degree that we very seldom remember their names. This is no doubt a negative aspect. The ministers’ presence in the media is important regardless of the public reactions toward what they say or do.
Time has gone forever when the people would applaud whatever the minister would say. However, staying away from the media is not the solution. It is rather escaping from the responsibility.
