A New Face for the Head of Bakom
President Prabowo Subianto has once again implemented a change in the leadership of the Indonesian Government Communications Agency (Bakom). The position is now held by Syahganda Nainggolan.
Syahganda’s inauguration as Head of Bakom took place at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Friday (2/10/2026). Meanwhile, Fadli Tri Hartono has been appointed as the Deputy Head of Bakom.
This is the third time the leadership of the agency, which is responsible for managing the communication of strategic central and regional government policies and programmes, has changed.
For context, Bakom RI is a transformation of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO). The Instagram account logo for the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) changed to the Government Communications Agency (Bakom) in September 2025.
At the beginning of the Prabowo administration, Hasan Nasbi was appointed as the Head of PCO. Hasan Nasbi had submitted his resignation as Head of PCO on 21 April 2025. However, at that time, his resignation letter was still under review, and he was ultimately requested to continue leading the PCO.
On 17 September 2025, Hasan Nasbi’s position was replaced by Angga Raka Prabowo, whom President Prabowo inaugurated as the Head of Bakom RI.
The Minister of State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi, explained that the Government Communications Agency led by Angga Raka was a transformation of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO). Prasetyo stated at the time that the change was implemented by the government based on evaluation results.
“This is not about forming a new agency, but transforming the change from the Presidential Communication Office into the Government Communications Agency. After our evaluation, we realised we needed improvements in terms of communication. We do not want it to merely represent the presidential office, but to have a much broader reach,” Pras told journalists at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (17/9/2025).
Unlike the PCO, the Government Communications Agency covers a wider scope of communication. It will not only handle communications for ministries and agencies but will also synchronise communications between the central and regional governments.
Then, on 27 April 2026, the Head of Bakom changed again. Prabowo conducted a cabinet reshuffle, which included replacing the leadership of Bakom.
M Qodari, who previously served as the Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), moved to become the Head of the Government Communications Agency (Bakom). During that inauguration, Hasan Nasbi was appointed as a Special Advisor to the President for Communications.
Six months later, Prabowo changed the Head of Bakom once again. Prabowo appointed Syahganda Nainggolan as the new Head of Bakom RI, replacing Qodari. Qodari has been assigned by Prabowo as the Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres).
The inauguration took place at the State Palace on Friday (2/10/2026) and was based on Presidential Decree Number 106/P of 2026.
Commission XIII of the House of Representatives Confident in Improving Government Communication
The Vice Chairman of Commission XIII of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sugiat Santoso, is confident that Syahganda can improve government communications.
“We are very optimistic that Mr Syahganda can lead the battle for information and public framing, so that any perceptions of injustice towards Mr Prabowo and the policies implemented so far can be rectified,” Sugiat told journalists on Friday (2/10/2026).
He noted that Syahganda has a background as an activist and believes he is prepared to defend the administration’s interests when delivering information to the public.
“Mr Syahganda is a progressive figure, and I am certain he can stand firm in conveying all the narratives and performance of Mr Prabowo’s government programmes. Mr Syahganda is also an activist with an extensive network,” he said.
He added that Syahganda possesses a straightforward approach and expressed hope that he could further enhance government communications.