Analyst: Cabinet Secretary's Visit to People's School is Effective Communication
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Political communication analyst Hendri Satrio (Hensa) views the visit by Cabinet Secretary (Seskab) Teddy Indra Wijaya to the People’s School in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta, as an example of effective public communication.
According to him, not many officials are willing to take the trouble to personally witness the realities right in front of them.
“Indeed, it’s as simple as that, but this needs to be highlighted because it’s rare for anyone to do so. I think many officials know about problems like this, but knowing alone is not enough,” Hensa stated in a comment in Jakarta on Thursday.
For context, the visit was carried out by Seskab together with Social Affairs Minister (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf to directly check the conditions of children who have been out of school.
Hensa considers the visit as a form of the government’s commitment to serving the public.
“If officials are willing to show up, sit down, and talk directly with the children, no more words are needed. The public can judge for themselves who is serious and who is not,” Hensa said.
He also highlighted the way Teddy communicated with the children at the people’s school during the visit, without giving a long speech or revealing data on programme achievements.
During the visit, Teddy only interacted directly with the children and gave a brief statement based on his observations in the field.
“I see this as honest communication: action first, then speak, not the other way around. Come, see, listen, then convey it as it is. That’s actually the hardest thing to do,” he said.
Hensa conveyed that this communication pattern aligns with the recent improvement in communication from the Palace side.
According to him, it’s not about how often officials appear in the media, but whether that presence feels genuine or not in the eyes of the public.
“If this is done consistently, not just once and done, I don’t need to say whether it’s good or not, but society itself will conclude, and once that’s the case, no narrative can counter the trust that forms organically,” Hensa said.
During the visit, Seskab met prospective students of the People’s School, who are mostly from decile 1 families or the extreme poverty category.
“So, welcome here, little ones. (The People’s School) is not yet operational, so Mr Mensos invited me to check the school,” he said.
More than 70 prospective students of the People’s School from elementary to high school levels, originating from various areas in Jakarta, gathered at the People’s School building, which occupies the premises of the Higher Institute of Administrative Sciences (STIA) of the National Institute of Public Administration (LAN) RI in Pejompongan.
The People’s School in Pejompongan is currently being prepared to accommodate students, most of whom have dropped out of school or have not attended since elementary level.