AP #7 - Hijacking the Process: How Consultation Becomes a Weapon
How Activists Turn Dialogue Into Delay
We’re supposed to be able to talk — and to listen. No one has all the answers. But sometimes, solutions emerge from genuine conversations.
Consultation — real consultation — is meant to build understanding, foster trust, and find common ground. But in today’s high-stakes advocacy landscape, it’s increasingly being used as a weapon — not a bridge.
What started as a sincere effort to include communities in decision-making has, in many cases, been distorted into a performative or punitive tactic. Professional activists have learned how to hijack the process — not to shape outcomes, but to stall them, discredit them, or kill them unless they align with a predetermined ideology.
These aren’t people looking to solve a problem or strengthen a project. They’re playing a longer game — and they’re betting you won’t call it out.
“You didn’t ‘fail to consult.’ You just didn’t deliver the answer they demanded.”
How It Works
Delay as Strategy
Endless demands for more meetings, more studies, more “engagement.” The goal isn’t dialogue — it’s paralysis.Shifting Goalposts
Every answer creates a new complaint. Resolution is never the goal — exhaustion is.Weaponizing Optics
If a project moves forward despite opposition from even one vocal group, the narrative becomes “ignoring voices” — no matter how broad or inclusive the engagement really was.Consultation = Veto
The line between consultation and consent is blurred intentionally. “We weren’t properly consulted” often just means “we didn’t get our way.”Delegitimizing Process
Even transparent, inclusive consultations are painted as illegitimate — simply because they didn’t deliver the outcome activists wanted.
The Consequences Are Real
This weaponization of process erodes trust, drains resources, and punishes those who engage in good faith. Worse, it alienates genuine stakeholders who now wonder if consultation is just political theatre. But here’s some of the things you can do.
Redefine Expectations
Be crystal clear about what consultation is — and what it isn’t. It’s about input, not surrender.
Hold the Line
Back your process. Don’t start over just because someone didn’t like the result.Expose the Tactic
Call it what it is. Shine light on the difference between authentic dialogue and sabotage disguised as consultation.
In today’s environment, even consultation can be spun into a trap. That’s why it needs protection — not politicization.
Don’t abandon engagement. But do learn how to defend it.
We’ve seen it. We’ve been in the room. And we can help. To learn more about beating the activists through meaningful engagement, let’s talk.
