Analyst says performance and public closeness boost Teddy's popularity

Consistency in being present among the public and a quick response to various public issues are the main factors driving the increasing popularity of Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Political communication analyst Hendri Satrio stated that this phenomenon is interesting because Teddy is a bureaucratic official who does not have a political machine or a party support base. “It’s busy on social media, and it’s even busier on the ground. Both in big cities and remote areas, the fact is that many people know and like him,” said the founder of the KedaiKOPI Survey Institute in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday. He assessed that Teddy’s popularity is supported more by his performance and closeness to the public than by political factors. According to him, this was evident from the high public enthusiasm when Teddy accompanied President Prabowo Subianto at a Nahdlatul Ulama event in Madura, East Java, as well as an event attended by around 100,000 farmers and fishermen in Gorontalo. “Teddy is not a regional head, not a minister with his own programmes, not a politician, not the child of an official, does not have a party, and is not even a party member. But he is that popular among the public. This must be because of his performance,” he said. He assessed that the ability to build closeness with the public through direct presence and effective communication is the factor that makes Teddy accepted by various groups without the support of a political machine. “If someone can achieve broad acceptance without party attributes or a political machine behind them, it shows a capable level of communication skill and social closeness. This is something rarely found in bureaucratic officials today,” he said.