George Chellah – public relations disaster
George Chellah should be discharged of his duties for making one of the worst public relations gaffes in the country. The irresponsible handling of the president’s “working holiday” by him should be used in schools of journalism and mass communication as an example of lack of interpersonal communication skills, and simply sheer ignorance. It has since become clear that Chellah is an unprofessional and immature presidential press aide who is unable to manage a crisis and deal with rumors and toxic fabrications. Actually his ineptitude has helped to engage the rumor mill into an irreversible gear.
The past three weeks have been unprecedented in the annals of our country.
Never has a living president, anywhere in the world, left his people in such a tormented, distraught manner, and in such a state of confusion. It was not like a healthy bubbly Sata was in Mfuwe for a working holiday. It was an emaciated, weak, and lethargic Sata jumping on a plane to Israel at short notice. In a country where many people are gullible enough to believe anything fed to them, Sata’s sudden trip raised eyebrows and rumors began to change by the hour. Instead of addressing them, Chellah chose to keep quiet.
Chellah should know that he is not only the president’s spokesman, or writer of news releases, he is also the damage controller—leader of the management crisis brigade at State House. Simply put, he is the president’s fire fighter employed to extinguish blazes.
A press aide of Chellah’s position should know how to handle rumors, quips, and platitudes that involve the president.
In the case of the president’s behavior the past three weeks, Chellah should have devised a strategy aimed at changing public perception in favor of the president. He should have been responding promptly in order to save the president’s face.
To respond three weeks later is a clear indication that Chellah does not know the role of a press aide as defined above. He is simply a reporter trained to gather news. His duty is to find out the “who,” “”what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how,” of a story and write it. I have no idea what level of journalism he has reached; it is definitely of substandard or kindly put, mediocre.
The release of Sata’s pictures on Monday, July 14, 2014 was the cheapest of shorts by a failed public relations department at State House. I will not waste time insisting that Chellah be fired because Sata has no clue what I am talking about.
This calls to the attention why a president must have a college degree of some sort. A person in State House must be of sound learning and must use thought and reason, coupled with intelligence and good judgment. He must know when he is hurting his people and when to stop. That’s all I can say.
As for Chellah, looking at Sata’s recent pictures felt like having a paranormal encounter with a ghost. There was a little heart-thump at seeing him. Even some of his cabinet members were for a moment driven into a spectral suspension. I bet many readers were equally petrified because in as far as they were concerned, the president was critically ill and near death. In fact some, including his closest confidantes, believed he had already expired and would be brought back home as cargo. And Chellah’s silence seemed to rather confirm the perception. Such was his unskillfulness. Had he acted professionally and corrected the erroneous impression right from the start, he would have saved the nation the rotten feeling of grief.
Chellah knows very well that the state in which the president was before July 22, 2014, the date of departure, was worrisome. Some pictures showed him underweight, with head and facial bones protruding. As Chellah prepared the trip, he should have taken all reasonable steps to ensure truthful information about the president’s condition was provided to the media. In his press release he should have stated that apart from meeting Israeli officials, the president would be undergoing medical treatment or a medical check-up.
Upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport he should have taken pictures of the president being met by an Israel official as is required protocol whether on official visit or not. He should have sent the pictures to Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily Mail and of course ZNBC. In other words, he should have stuck to real journalism principles: report the facts; don’t speculate on the unknown, nor create news on the basis of lies. And as rumors continued to swell, he should have been feeding the Zambian media with images and updates.
Revamping Public Relations section of State House cardinal
I am cognizant of the fact that Chellah is dealing with a very difficult president, a master of diversionary tactics and a consummate schemer whose motto is “my way or the highway.” The dreadful feeling of being in Sata’s service is unimaginable and Chellah may be applying silent rules of non-interference as a result. But that is no excuse. It is characters like Sata that a savvy and well-qualified press aide relishes. He finds a way to become the president’s brain and a master of the two. He educates him on the importance of communicating with the public; and encourages him to hold press conferences at least on quarterly basis; and above all, he makes him to appreciate openness, truthfulness, and love for his people.
Obviously Chellah has failed, and for three years he has been press aide, he has lamentably failed to provide an effective moral strategy of dealing with the president’s behavior. We have watched him embrace the president’s tyrannical rule and his gullibility has led to a disastrous public relations performance by any presidential press aide in modern times.
Let me end with these words: The police and intelligence wings should not be pursuing online news editors for spreading rumors that Sata is in bad health. Instead, State House should revamp the public relations section and employ well-qualified staff. The president’s press aide should be a holder of a minimum bachelor’s degree in mass communications and journalism with vast experience in media (print and electronic), and public relations. He should have knowledge of how government works, its economics, public policy, and should be able to manage emergencies, crises, and have an upper hand on gossip-based media. That is what Zambians deserve.
By Field Ruwe
Not to worry am sure when Chellah writes his ‘memoirs’ or ‘life in state house’ he will admit he ‘mismananged’ the office in a way am sure he will be able to ‘launch’ his book in the US and ‘boast’ about how he was a ‘spin doctor’ when in reality most press aides in Africa are muppets and puppets of the Master..dancing to the flute and in the process thinking they are persons of importance when they are persons of impotence
A CASE OF A FAILED PUBLIC RELATIONS DISASTER IN THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE-Great article- I think the issue here is that The Post newspaper boys are running the media centre at state house- what do you expects from Eddie Mwanalesa, Thomas Nsama and George Chellah who are all from the tabloid newspaper in the armpit of Fred Mmembe? The issue is that George needs good journalism education not the stuff from Evelyn Hone under Clayson Hamasaka and his Zambian Watchdog crap with Llyod Himambo- It is sad that PR is now a disaster at state house- How do you take a file picture and circulate it on the media houses to prove that the president is health and alive- He couldnt even take one photo in Israel to show off? Chellah should go.
4. You Unfriendly Helpers, such as George Chellah I Command you Depart From Sata.
Let Every Negative Transactions Currently Affecting his life Negatively Be Canceled,
So easily duped! No wonder a whiteman came with mirrors and sweets to entice our chiefs and they gave him thousands of young strong black men as slaves in return and diamonds. The effect of that level of stupidity in black people is still felt to this day. Someone once said “if slavery was instigated by black people on white people, it would still be around to this day” Can you refute that? Look at the likes of our very learned friends Saulosi and Mushota! A little education is more dangerous for a black man than no education at all. Ask yourselves this question: “what is the burning issue currently in Zambia?” If the answer is: Disappearing act of President Sata – then you are bright. Next, how do you dispel the rumours of a sick president? if you said still pictures – then u r wrong.
~ The Presidential Siege ~
Part 1
It’s 2014, a group of ministers of The Central Republic of Zamunda (CRZ) government under a foreign influential player take large sums of mafia money in order to sell a huge section of land in the middle of a protected wildlife park rich in uranium and diamond deposits. kamimba, a ruthless but sleek player and leader of the group comes up with a plan to embalm the recently deceased head of state and has the nation believe the president is on a resting holiday…
This one is truly Made in Zamunda!
One Zamunda One divided Nation!
The Kamimba team however have a difficult challenge ahead of them as a local human activist by the name of Brainier Changa is leading the people of Zamunda to demand to see the president.
Part 2
Things are heating up now as the Mafia have started landing in Zamunda to start their operations…..
… and the people of Zamunda demand to see their President who has not been seen in public for weeks on end. Kamimba is frantic and seeks help from the Mafia on how to convince the gullible people of Zamunda that the president is well and working hard at State House. The Mafia easily invade the sentries placed at state house who are drunk on Super Kajirijiri and fast asleep.
The command centre is run by Kamimba but the Army and Home Security are not taking orders from Kamimba, There is a total breakdown of communication and this suits Kamimba and the Mafia as their operations at State House will be smooth and go unnoticed by the gullible population of Zamunda.
Part 3
This country is ripe and rich in gemstones and other mineral resources so much that some are unnoticed by the State of Zamunda but the foreign influence operating in the country. The plan for the mafia is to mechanise the expensively embalmed corpse of the former president of Zamunda.
The Chinese and Japanese underground scientists are queueing up to showpiece their technology of inserting voice boxes in embalmed corpses with real previously recorded voices of the dead. The Chinese win the tender as Kamimba favours them and they want to do a good job to reek revenge on the late former ruler who implicitly despised them. The Mafia shake hands with the Chinese and Kamimba gives them a room in state house’ underground tunnels as their operation headquarters.
Part 4
The Mafia working with the Chinese start sampling and coding previously recorded words spoken by the late president of Zamunda now perfectly embalmed in expensive Israeli oils going back centuries. The voice box now rich with the deceased’s own vocabulary is fitted back in the corpse and a high quality glass speaker is inserted in the mouth of the now highly mechanised and automated corpse….This corpse can now walk and talk or is it walk the talk….
The technology as you know has already been in use on most top smartphones – you all know Siri in iphone right? You talk to him and he understands what you are saying and he answers you back.
Part 5
Everything back in the lab at state house is now perfect and tests have been done successfully. Kamimba is excited and yells a sigh of relief and shouts loudly to Gaya Schikoti his accomplice in the cream noshing department. It works! it works! he screams as he dances around shaking hands with the mafia and the Chinese underground scientists. The cobra can talk! The cobra can talk! Kamimba keeps talking to the cobra time and time and again spending many hours and it works. He says to Gaya Schikoti, “let me try one last time before you announce to the general public that the president will take a few minutes from his busy schedule to say a few words to his people”
Part 6
~ The Dialogue ~
Kamimba: “Mr president , what’s your name………..?”
President Saka of Zamunda: ” my name is Mike Charlie-Sex Mwango Chilufyanya aged 77 but sometimes 74 or even 73 and my house address is number 1 State house on unindependent revenue P.O BOX RDA! “Now, I would like to thank my father, my mother and my parents for making me who I am”
Kamimba: “Excellent! we are ready to roll, Gaya Schikoti call for a press conference and invite the diplomatic corps to witness the press conference tomorrow morning at state house at 10:00hrs and make sure it’s shown live on Zamunda National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for all the gullible populace of Zamunda to see and then they will believe, shut up and leave us alone whilst we mine the diamonds and uranium.
Part 7
~ Press Conference Time ~
All gathered, some listening to their hand held radios and others glued to their TV sets are waiting to hear from the the head of state of Zamunda.
Time is 09:59hrs.
At exactly 10:00hrs, President Saka is unveiled standing at the podium looking radiant.
Kamimba: ” Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you president Saka – over to you Mr President”as Kamimba gestures to President Saka.
President Saka: “Awe teine wamwipeye”
The dead line is fast approaching for the PF to let the President address the nation on ZNBC tomorrow. Preparation have reached an advanced stage to hold national wide protest to demand the president to show up in public and talk to his people.
If does not show up by Wednesday then Thursday National wide protest will go ahead.
SATA PLEASE SHOW YOUR SELF IF YOU ARE ALIVE OTHERWISE COME THURSDAY ALL TOWNS WILL MATCH IN PROTEST.
Hold a meeting, invite ZNBC and other media houses to make your appearance credible. No more photo shopping please. Most Zambians are not f00ls save except for PF minions.
IF SATA DOES NOT SHOW UP ,THIS WILL CONFIRM THE FACT THAT SATA IS DEAD AND HOOKED TO A MACHINE IN ISRAEL.
What do you except from a C grade Journalist at Honey.He will always be a danger to himself and the Nation this Chellah.In our class he was a diaster his CAs were terible and when we were together at the Post.His Lead and Slug were terrible.
What can we expect from a Party with a Manifesto of LIES, a Government that came to power through LIES, has governed on LIES? Can a leopard suddenly change its spots?
The problem is that almost everything that has come from PF has been lies. Even if they now tell the truth, Zambians will not believe it as their entire record has been one of deceit and lack of respect for the people that elected them. They have taken Zambians for granted and demolished any credibility they may have had.
TRUTH is not in their toolbox!
Zambians voted for Don’t Kubeba – the absence of the President is a real taste of the slogan and the PF governance. No need for accountability – it’s all a game of retired politicians.
Didn’t Field Ruwe vacate Zambia a gazillion years ago? If he cared so much on the emotions of the people of Zambia, why did he leave.
Ba Field you worry about America’s problems now. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you!
Field Ruwe. ??? How do you expect the man to perfom outside his jurisdiction? If you have a personal issue with him there are better ways to settle scores!.. not this article void of reality and facts and abandoned by knowledge and common sense.
@ Matrix
Try to read again but this time remove blindfold.
..@142..
..if the blogger who posted the comment just above yours did not refer himself as ‘The Matrix’, I could have thought its Chellah himself who has posted it….
on this one i dont think there is anything Chellah can do. the fact is that job is very difficult, sometimes its not your will but remember he is just a worker who reports to someone in that office and the president is managed by other offices like the principal secretary. so from the outside Ruwe can write all he can but the truth is that he may or not a lone voice in that situation and we say the majority wins. i wish we could see really what is happening
Great article- I think the issue here is that The Post newspaper boys are running the media centre at state house- what do you expects from Eddie Mwanalesa, Thomas Nsama and George Chellah who are all from the tabloid newspaper in the armpit of Fred Mmembe? The issue is that George needs good journalism education not the stuff from Evelyn Hone under Clayson Hamasaka and his Zambian Watchdog crap with Llyod Himambo- It is sad that PR is now a disaster at state house- How do you take a file picture and circulate it on the media houses to prove that the president is health and alive- He couldnt even take one photo in Israel to show off? Chellah should go.
Its Field Ruwe the failed career comedian at it again ! The problem bwana failed comedian is you have your own ideas of what Chellah is supposed to say,walk,breath and act. Chellah is chellah,i suggest you keep your fantasies to yourself.The problem with people like you who have ended up getting a decent education by default is you always thinks life revolves around you and that only what you think is right.It doesn’t work that way.High time you cut on this egocentric,self indulgent,preconceived and apologetic crap !!!
@saulosi,u can do better than this,universally accepted standard of press aid is what the author is stressing his point here
deleted… ad hominem
deleted… ad hominem
Why that article, and not at Ba Sata’s Facebook. Ruwe post it there, its free.
SAULOSI, ARE YOU THINKING FROM THE RIGHT END? SOME PEOPLE USE THEIR HEADS TO THINK OTHERS USE THEIR BOTTOMS TO ‘THINK’.
When we tell you that Chellah is merely a tool and mole for one Membe and on his own his simply an immature naive young boy people think we are jealous. Look at the CVs of people who have served in that office.
Anyway who can blame the silly boy when he is mostly surrounded by cadres and empty tins.
Do you really think Evelyn Hone College can produce a good presidential aid? that guy should have been working at KCM or some mine somewhere on the copperbelt
What a great article!
Mind your stage works(field ruwe)and let people laugh.This real life not life aped on stage if you think you are wise enough come home why work online?
Wake up @eyes. This is the digital world. One can work remotely from anywhere without having to be physically at a certain location to be able to work. You obviously dont understand the full capabilities of the internet.
I have a strong suspicion that what is going on is treasonous. Do people actually know the penalty for treason? I have it on good authourity that the defence minister is headed by a former lawyer, i would be interested to know his take on all this? In the meantime, has the President sworn in the new constitutional office holders AG and SG? why the wait since the pictures shown show a slick President walking un aided and “addressing” a meeting – a swearing in ceremony need not take more than 20 mimutes I am sure it is happening as I write this.
@Juda, you dropped the – H on your last posting. Is it a sign of H -anging up a tree somewhere or you are Gen in disguise?
Pardon me – that would be ” the defence ministry” and not ” the defence minister”.
How long will it take this guy to complete his doctoral studies.
Why not just put your full names?
Ba Field Ruwe, thank you very much for educating us. But be mindful that that’s the best of best PF can have! That is their bestest, if I may put it this way. Mind you PF has never and will never believe in any other species apart from their kind, i.e. the dull kind, in relation to the normal and intelligent species like yourself. All in all,its like milking a stone my borther!
Sata who chaired the Cabinet meeting during the day and the same man who was interviewed by the BBC while sitting on the bed at 22.30 hrs were two different men.
It confirms that those photos posted on face book were fake.
Hey, when did kalaba return from Turkey to attend the cabinet meeting? On Sunday I watched him in Turkey talking to potential investors and he expressed how happy he was that Turkey was planning on opening a flight route to Zambia. Kalaba was also in the pictures aya cabinet meeting. Does anyone know when he came back?
To the defense of Chellah – he was overwhelmed.
You know when a situation overwhelms you to the extent that you become paralyzed, you cant issue any intelligent statement. What happened at State House was a shock of a kind that no body knew what to say. If chellah said the president is ok and then dies within an hour you would have virified him. If he said the president is sick the opposition would have a field day. He got stuck in between – the wise thing to do is to keep quiet and wait for the storm to pass.
Now that he has released those pictures is a good signal – it says the president is out of danger. Next week he will be well enough to come on TV for all to see. AT 77 president Sata needed one month to fully recover and have a better health.
We thank God.
Ba Ruwe you still believe us Zambians are gullible? you must have left this country a long time ago!
Of course our people are gullible, docile and passive…etc.. where on earth does a head of state disappear for a month and the reappear via still archive photos and you celebrate that he is live and kicking. Which democracy on earth would a head of state not hold a press conference not even once?
With all due respect, Mr Ruwe, you seem or should I say sound so angry…..Like one poster above said, got issues with this guy or what? Article appreciated though.
George Chellah was planted at State House by Fred Membe specifically to provide vital information to a Cartel of economic swindlers geared to refine schemes to escape the long arms of ZRA, genuine-Police and genuine-ACC.
This time around, Chellah may have succeeded to CONCEAL President Sata’s true health status. We wonder how the PF Govt will handle a scenario when God finally prescribes the inevitable antithesis of BIRTH. This will be a prescription that will send all PF members into eternal political oblivion because no sane Zambia will ever, ever again believe in their political messages. God Hear Our Prayers for Sata’s quick recovery.
I propose Chilaizya, Kangwa, Ngoma, Liwewe, Nkandu-Mundea, Mutubila, Tembo as potential Presidential Press aides. They are all well travelled and experienced journalists. They can raise the bar. George Chellah never travelled beyond his Lusaka village before his appointment. His exposure to international affairs and state craft was through the intoxicating tutelage of Fred Mmembe and watching DSTV.
If your principal says stay mute, you stay mute. However, GC knows that even a “No Comment” quip is a comment.
Or simply state that you are not at liberty to stop mad people speculating about the health and well being of the President
Ten years ati Comment awaiting moderation, are you telling me evry comment is moderated and if so how do these insults end up on the platform?
jealous ba field ruwe. Its God who gives. you opted to waste your time ba dj in america where you are cleaning toilets.leave the young man alone
The saint, i guess you are one of the many frustrated and stranded journalists. leave george alone you know it all
Field, you failed to enter Evelyn Hone college because of poor grade 12 grades. No,w you go to america at some cheap college and cheating us that you are more journalist than others. Who are you to question george you field. your credentials cant be accepted in Zambia even at Coppertone university. you hurters
Talking about qualifications, I think it’s unfair to compare journalism papers from Evelyn Hone College to what Field Ruwe has received from American universities. Please discuss the issue at hand instead of attacking the person. Evading the issue and attacking the person is one of the fallacies in philosophy and critical thinking. A fallacy is simply false reasoning whereby one fails to offer evidence to support their argument. It’s only in Zambia where a person with an associate degree can be a presidential aide.
FIELD RUWE HAS OVERRATED HIMSELF,HENCE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT.HE NEEDS HELP TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON IN ZAMBIA.DOES FIELD RUWE KNOW THE MEANING OF”DON’T KUBEBA?”THE PROBLEM WITH SOME PEOPLE IS THAT IF THEY GET A DEGREE AND THEN STAY ABROAD THEY THINK THEY ARE MORE INTELLIGENT THAN THEIR COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE REMAINED IN AFRICA.
ITS DON’T KUBEBA AGAIN,IT WORKED IN 2011 AND MR SATA AND HIS PF WON THE ELECTION BASED ON DECEIT,THEY STILL BELIEVE IT CAN STILL WIN THEM THE CONFIDENCE OF THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE,HENCE APPLYING IT EVEN ON SIMPLE ISSUES LIKE HIDING THE SICKNESS OF MR SATA..THE EARLIER MR SATA GETS OUT OF SELF IMPOSED EXILE IN THE COUNTRY THE BETTER,THERE ARE ONLY TWO THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE SICK,EITHER YOU ARE HEALED OR YOU DIE.IN AN EVENT MR SATA DIED IN HIS SLEEP,WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO TELL US????THAT HE HAS BEEN BEWITCHED BY THE MINORITY WHO WANT TO RULE THE COUNTRY??COME ON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,GET OUT FROM THE COCOON AND FACE THE REALITY.MR SATA IS SPENDING HIS LAST DAYS ON EARTH AND WE SHALL BE LUCKY IF HE WILL REACH 2016………!!!!!!!!!
Sorry Field Ruwe, Chellah has the job, while you think sitting whining in America should be a job
Typical PF government of *****s,by *****s and for *****s.Only in darkest Africa can people be taken in by the kind of blatant charade that the PF are shrouding themselves in. The question actually is why hasn’t Mr Sata himself done more to dispel the rumours and uncertainty surrounding his health if he really is fit and working well as we are implored to believe.What a hammer blow it would prove against his detractors if he could only be put everyone’s mind at rest. Is that really too much to ask of him as the supposed father of the nation?Something is terribly amiss.
Or Maybe expectations of people like those that stay/live in other nations is slightly over the board. Never insult your nations even through your presidents/prime ministers; simply called respect or honor of your nation or country (the people you belong to), more than whatever happens. Being in a foreign country and you saying such, hope they dont give you UK citizenship, you may be same, dishonor. I pray for, and with love