Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Danijel Koletić
Photo: Andrej Plenković, Croatian Prime Minister
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and his team have been able to resist various provocations and, with moderate rhetoric, balance between the communication threats of the opposition and the expected crisis in the communications with its coalition partners.
In his public appearances the Prime Minister himself nurtures the same frequency of messages and tone of voice, which is why his communication became even monotonous at one point. But he manages to cover the monotony with content – although he doesn’t emphasize important words, but does it through body language, raising his eyebrows and holding out open hands showing his willingness for two-way communication. By way of comparison, US President Trump also has pronounced gestures in his public speeches – raising his right hand and fingers at times when he wants to emphasize the importance of some of his messages.
Despite his youth, the prime minister’s dress-code is stern. His suits are mostly classic cuts and gray tones. The color choice of his suits and ties lacks any freshness that would distract attention.
The communication strategy in announcing political decisions should nonetheless be modified, and prior to media reports it will be necessary to inform the professional and influential public in a timely manner, and not allow these key stakeholders to learn information on the sale of HEP from the media. Thus the government, quite unnecessarily, brought itself into an awkward position, leaving the media, trade unions and other stakeholders maneuvering for space for manipulation. Thus this issue, which was supposed to be a public call for debate and presentation, went in a completely wrong direction.
Thanks to the diplomatic experience he gained in Brussels, during the first 100 days at the helm of the Government Prime Minister Plenković has managed to suppress provocations within his own party, those which came from the right-wing circles of the HDZ, such as pressures regarding the choice of the Minister of Culture and the Croatian Defense Forces’ plaque in Jasenovac.
The communication and diplomatic experience of the first man of the Croatian Government is also evident in his communication with the President of the Republic of Croatian, which gives the impression of stability in the Croatian political leadership.
Crisis communication elements are visible in the case of the minister of science and education, in which the prime minister, despite numerous attacks, has remained firm in his stance, patiently waiting for the topic to fall into oblivion.
His communication with the opposition leader, Davor Bernardić, however, should have resulted in a meeting, after the latter openly called him to a constructive meeting. Had he done so, Prime Minister Plenković would have shown political maturity and a higher level of communication, regardless of the results or conclusions of that meeting.
As things stand, this topic has, unnecessarily, been running in the media for too long, and the prime minister is projecting the image of a person who is not ready for dialogue.
From a political standpoint, a clear message is being sent that can be interpreted in different ways. One of the clearest messages has been seen many times in the Croatian political space, and refers to the principle of blue with blue, red with red. On the other hand, it is possible that the prime minister made this move because he does not want to give importance to the president of the SDP.
Among the most prominent ministers are Finance Minister Zdravko Marić, Minister of Agriculture Tihomir Tolušić and Interior Minister Orepić, whose clear rhetoric and communication messages have confirmed them as skilled communicators who stand firmly behind what they say publicly. Lately, the communication of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Martina Dalić has also become increasingly efficient.
In its first 100 days, the Government, in terms of communication, has successfully avoided several crises, thanks mostly to its calmness and focus on its own goals and messages.
One of the challenges before the prime minister and his ministers is the daily occurrence, when the media, like paparazzi, literally stalk ministers in front of the Government in order to take statements from them. The ministers don’t handle themselves so well in these situations – agreeing to comment on certain issues while they are walking or avoiding them completely – thus unnecessarily giving a poor image of themselves. This sends the message to the public that the Government is disorganized, which is quite contrary to what the Government’s office for communication is doing.