By Dr. Lyndell St. Ville
SINCE the general elections in Saint Lucia have been completed, we can look back with some degree of detachment to analyse the results. Notably, the campaigning involved the strong use of digital and social media platforms to reach the voting audience. In particular, the outgoing SLP seemed to dominate that channel, rather impressively too, during the campaign. There must be lessons to be learned when a technology-friendly party mounts an impressive social media campaign, but still fails to win the election, even when called at a time of their own choosing! Are you at a loss to explain this failure? Perhaps instead, you were able to foresee the impending result despite the obvious mastery of the technology, the planning and the logistical efforts. Either way, it seems that something was missing, and the losing party did not possess the right insight or vision into the process.
Stepping back and observing this election from a distance, it is critical for future improvement and effective management, that we all take stock. After a change or some other significant event, time is needed to reflect on the outcome, and after a process of evaluation, discover what steps or missteps may have interfered with a more successful outcome. For expensive ICT-related projects, the production of a lessons-learned report is an established part of the quality management process. For national elections where the stakes are high, and which may use technology as part of the process, this is also essential!
Excluding any mystical or misleading speculation of a link to the occult (and to keep this article brief), we shall consider a few points, leaving others to arise in the rumshop or the imagination. Consider the following:
* Did we actively vote for the new UWP leader, or simply against the former SLP leader?
* Are scandals to be expected from our officials as they have been accused?
* Did the outgoing party ignore any warning signs that could have saved them?
* Was the use of technology a significant factor in the process?
Simple claims of voting out the SLP leader are unsatisfactory, because that imposes no expectations on the new UWP leader. The people deserve more, and we all deserve better. Scandalous behaviour would not be rewarded either. Further, it seems that mistakes were made and evidently, the use of technology was insufficient to overcome the resulting backlash. Lessons definitely need to be learned from the past, and a post-election analysis undertaken by both parties.
In general, when our new efforts are informed and improved by lessons learned from the past, then we should expect increasing gains. If we do not take time to learn from our own mistakes, and the mistakes of others, then we too shall suffer the same predictable fate.
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To share your views, contact the author at: www.datashore.net or via The Voice.
(Dr. Lyndell St. Ville is an ICT Consultant based in Saint Lucia. His expertise includes systems analysis, policy review, and risk assessment.)
Lessons learned analysis always start with results from exit polls. And you can also mount an impressive social media campaign in a negative way. I am surprise you did not recognize the massive grass root campaign that over came and DESTROYED social media. Hope you too learn your lesson, a hand shake is better than a phone call.
one lesson I learned
People are treacherous and deceptive. Nothing destroyed social media cause the UWP had a heavy presence there….the massive grass roots lazy arse lucians fell for the promise of no VAT and all the freeness promises…idiots like juke bois and rick preyed on their ignorance. Intelligent people like me who vote Labour are in the minority and that’s all!