Model Nation #11: The problem that will not go away

Unspun has it on good authority that a prominent Indonesian has advised the Kelantan royals that the only way to deal with the Manohara issue is to treat it as a PR issue, not a legal one.

If Manohara is happy with her life in Kelantan and her mum is Mummy Dearest, then they must demonstrate to the public that this is the case. It can be done with a simple exclusive interview with a TV station.

It would not be that painful. All you have to do is select a somewhat respectable Indonesian TV journalist with an open mind, agree on some ground rules for the interview, media train Manohara and the Prince and go on air.

Such visual proof would do much more than the images and video being posted in the Rakyat Kelantan blog. The reason is that Rakyat Kelantan blog is at best anonymous and at worst partisan, so there is no credibility to what they post.

To have any impact at all, the source of the information must be a credible third party. Simple, rudimentary rules of communications and persuasion.

Living the cloistered life in Malaysia, the royals and their advisers may be tempted to think that this is an issue that will eventually fade away. Unspun thinks not. The issue, unless properly addressed, will simmer and wait for an opportunity to boil over. Such opportunities can take the form of an incident sparking anti-Malaysian feelings, or a local politician seeking populist support. Best to address the issue when it is controllable than to wait for it to escalate into crisis portions.