Ateny calls for better communication strategies among candidates

Caretaker Minister of ICT and Postal Services Ateny Wek Ateny has raised concerns over the communication strategies of some candidates contesting in the party primaries, saying their reliance on English and difficulty pronouncing the names of the constituencies they seek to represent highlight gaps in how they communicate with voters.

Speaking during the launch of the Bank of South Sudan’s Communication Strategy on Monday, October 26, Ateny said politicians should tailor their messages to the languages and needs of their intended audiences rather than assume that speaking good English makes them effective communicators.

“These days there is a failure of communication in this country. Those who are actually running for election, some of them have failed completely on how to communicate. Even how to pronounce ‘constituency’ is totally different, and the question is, who are they intending to communicate to so that they can fail terribly like this?” Ateny said.

He cited Aweil South, Constituency Number Six, as an example, saying he would use Dinka to communicate with voters there if he were contesting an election.

“In my own case, if I was contesting, my message would have been to my constituents, which are people of Aweil South, Constituency Number Six. I can address them in Dinka,” he said.

Ateny questioned the need for candidates to use English when their intended voters might better understand local languages.

He said communication strategies should reflect the linguistic diversity of South Sudan, noting that English could be appropriate for audiences in Juba and other major towns, including Wau, Malakal, Bentiu and Aweil, while local languages could be more effective in other communities.

“If I speak very good Bari, the Bari can vote for me. If I speak good English, the English speakers can vote for me. So they should have geared their communication strategy towards their constituents,” he said.

The minister argued that political communication should focus on reaching voters in languages they understand rather than treating English proficiency as a measure of political leadership.

He also discussed different forms of listening, identifying sound listening, selective listening and contextual listening as factors that influence how audiences receive and interpret messages.

Ateny explained that sound listeners focus on what they hear, selective listeners concentrate on particular parts of a message, while contextual listeners interpret information within its broader meaning and circumstances.

He said communicators should understand these differences when developing messages to ensure they reach their intended audiences.

Ateny formally announced the launch of the Bank of South Sudan’s Communication Strategy, describing communication research as an important step towards improving how institutions engage with the public.