Mobilising the masses

Din Duggan, Contributor

A few years ago, my 'bredren' Barry began sending me email messages. Each time I opened my inbox, I was greeted by a message trumpeting his grand plans and ambitions or soliciting money and other favours. The messages continued even after his move to a new job and home. I'm not the only one receiving regular updates from Barry. The guy is so keen on keeping friends informed about his life and plans that you would think he is the most important person on earth.

If you were searching the globe for a beacon of innovation and technological enlightenment, Tanzania wouldn't exactly be the place to look. The East African nation, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited regions, is today one of the world's poorest. Agriculture comprises the bulk of economic activity, contributing more than 50 per cent of its paltry US$550 per capita gross domestic product, roughly 85 per cent of exports and 80 per cent of jobs - hardly the mark of a technology juggernaut.

But what do my friend Barry and a poor African country have in common? They're both effectively integrating technology and politics. Barry, or Barack H. Obama as you may know him, is the 44th president of the United States (US), the first US president of African descent and my Face-book friend.

Obama brilliantly deployed social and electronic media in his 2008 presidential election campaign. While his opponent struggled to demonstrate the most basic understanding of email and BlackBerrys, Obama masterfully leveraged these very technologies to disseminate his message, solicit campaign donations and generate grass-roots appeal. Even after assuming office, President Obama has continued to use social media such as Facebook (on which he counts nearly 18 million friends), email, his website Change.gov and text messages to regularly inform the masses of the status of his presidential agenda.

In Tanzania, the upstart Party of Society (CCJ) has begun to use SMS text messages to recruit members from existing parties. Prospective party members simply send the CCJ a text message containing relevant information. A registration card is then mailed to the prospective member, allowing him to complete the registration process. This practice has saved the party the substantial cost of utilising traditional recruitment routes. This method of using technology to mobilise potential voters might well be replicable in Jamaica.

Bridging the gap

Many Jamaicans believe, perhaps with some justification, that politicians don't do much, if anything, to improve lives (other than their own). Politicians have done very little to dispel this belief. In fact, they've worked hard to perpetuate them. In 2010, their most publicised 'achievements' were scandals, conspiracies and controversies. Constituents continuously complain of only seeing their members of parliament during the election season. This has resulted in a wide disconnect between the populace and elected leaders. Effective use of digital, social and electronic media might help to bridge this chasm.

A few politicians have attempted to make productive use of digital media. Peter Bunting, the opposition spokesman on national security, as well as Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of agriculture, maintain relatively active Facebook pages. Others have minimal online presence. Most of these efforts, however, are static and haphazard.

If properly leveraged, these technologies could be deployed in election campaigns in Jamaica to mobilise voters and solicit donors and volunteers. Political parties could use text messages to disseminate relevant parts of their manifestos and inform supporters of enumeration and voting procedures. Elected representatives could efficiently update constituents on relevant legislation, instantly solicit feedback and rapidly respond to breaking news. Government ministers could continually interface with their core constituencies. The agriculture ministry, for example, could send SMS alerts to update farmers on best practices and market conditions, thereby complementing the efforts of and relieving the strain on the cadre of extension officers who currently traverse the country performing this function.

With the political and information-technology landscapes changing faster than Minister Shaw's budgets, the astute politician (pardon the oxymoron) would be foolish not to utilise the full range of electronic media to engage the masses in intelligent and innovative ways. The chicken and Guinness mobilisation strategy won't continue to fly.

Another interesting use for these technologies - spouses of politicians can conveniently arrange tea (or salad) parties.

Din Duggan is an attorney and entrepreneur who now works as a consultant with a global legal search firm. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com, facebook.com/dinduggan, twitter.com/YoungDuggan, or dinduggan@gmail.com.