Manifesto and agenda are communication materials for politicians that require proper handling by the media experts who mostly are spokespersons of their different parties, groups or individuals.
A professional spokesperson would understand the best media to convey his party’s manifesto and agenda such that intended objectives can be achieved. Prior to the period when people contest for political offices, they need to feature on initiatives that will bring development to the fore but spokespersons should be able to distinguish between a manifesto and agenda in political communication.
Interestingly, the period when manifesto, personal integrity, antecedents, precedents, human relations and agenda come to the public domain is during campaign and readiness to vie for political offices.
A manifesto is a public declaration of an individual’s principles and intentions. Manifestos are mostly politically inclined to mean the motives of an individual, group or political party which is mostly different from party to party. For instance the manifesto of democrats is different from that of republicans in the US.
Usually manifesto admits a previously written ideas or public opinions and encourages new concept with prescriptive notions for carrying out changes the author believes should be made. It is mostly used in the political arena and was first recoded in English in 1620 by Nathaniel Brent.
Agenda in political communication relates to a plan or program of actions that an individual have for his political party and the masses. It involves the list of programs that a party or its members have in stock for the people or things to be done when elected for a political post. This is where promises are made by politicians which the masses often take them for their words.
The declaration of Independence is a manifesto for any country of the world but a manifesto can be good or bad base on its application. Today, people, families and groups take cues from their political leaders on deciding their manifestos because in a democratic setting, a manifesto establishes this foundation and declares it to everyone, which indicates the stand and personality of people.
As for agenda, it is what depicts the policies, plans in the social, economic, political, cultural nuances of the society under a particular leader. I must be candid here, many developing countries leaders are unprepared to rule a state; they are mostly fortunate people that failed to exercise what obtains in the developed world in shaping their nations.
For instance, Malaysia came to Nigeria sometimes ago to get palm-trees, today; the country has become largest exporter of palm oil global. It is time for our leaders to have personal manifesto and agenda that will support economic, cultural, social and political development.
