Public relations role still minimal in business activities<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The role of public relations officers in
\nIndonesian business activities is still minimal, and they often
\nfunction as "firefighters" to cope with crises in companies, a
\npublic relations analyst said.<\/p>\n
"Our members often complain that they are called upon by the
\nmanagement only when their companies are under threat or their
\nimage is worsening," Teddy Kharsadi, the chairman of the Public
\nRelations Association of Indonesia, said yesterday.<\/p>\n
He was speaking at a seminar on the role of Indonesian public
\nrelations in strengthening the country's competitiveness through
\na better image on the international stage. The seminar was
\norganized by Indonesia's German Alumni Association, the Public
\nRelations Association of Indonesia and the Jakarta Consulting
\nGroup.<\/p>\n
Teddy noted that such a condition was partly caused by the
\nfact that there were not many qualified public relations officers
\nthat could convince the management on the important role of
\npublic relations.<\/p>\n
"The lack of qualified professionals is particularly felt at
\nthe middle and senior levels," he said.<\/p>\n
He said that public relations officers should not only be
\nassigned to cope with crises, but should pursue sustainable
\npromotion programs.<\/p>\n
Management<\/p>\n
To facilitate the job of public relations, A.B. Susanto, the
\nmanaging partner of the Jakarta Consulting Group, emphasized the
\nimportance of raising the position of public relations officers
\nin the companies' managerial hierarchy.<\/p>\n
Currently, he said, the positions of public relations chiefs
\nare mostly very low on the management ladder.<\/p>\n
According to Susanto, public relations chiefs in the
\nindustrial countries usually assume the positions of vice
\npresidents or directors.<\/p>\n
"If we want to see the public relations department function
\nproperly, their chiefs should have the positions of vice
\npresidents or directors so that they have easy access to all
\nkinds of information in the companies and can communicate them
\nwisely to the public," Susanto said.<\/p>\n
Teddy, however, contended that the effectiveness of public
\nrelations depends on the quality of the professionals. "It is
\ntheir quality and not their positions that help them a lot in the
\npublic relations job," he said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave
\nemphasized at the seminar the role of public relations officers
\nin helping win in international competition.<\/p>\n
He said that amid the current process of globalization,
\ninformation -- which is very powerful -- flows very rapidly and
\nfreely.<\/p>\n
"It is the job of our public relations officers to handle the
\ninformation to the benefit of our country and companies," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He noted that the role of public relations was particularly
\nuseful in handling crises, such as the July 27 rioting which had
\nslightly affected the Indonesian economy.<\/p>\n
Joop cited the negative coverage of foreign media on the
\nriots. To counter this, he said that Indonesia should have an
\ninternational television network like CNN, which intensively
\ncovered the riot last month.<\/p>\n
"Such a television broadcaster can be set up by a consortium
\nof our electronic media here to counter the foreign media's
\npublicity about Indonesia on the international stage," he said.<\/p>\n
The seminar was also addressed by the German Alumni
\nAssociation's chairman, Soni Harsono, who is also the state
\nminister of agrarian affairs; Matari Inc. president Kenneth I.
\nSudarto; the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications'
\nSecretary-General, Jonathan L. Parapak; the daily Republika's
\nchief editor, Parni Hadi; communication expert Alwi Dahlan; and
\nALatief Corp. Vice President Rae Sita Supit Wachjo. (13)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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