Before TNI Staff College Students, KDM Emphasises the Importance of Authentic Leadership

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi delivered a public lecture on the theme of leadership and public communication to Regular Education Officer Students (Pasis Dikreg) LXVII of the TNI Staff College for the 2026 Academic Year at Grha Widya Adibrata, TNI Staff College, Bandung City, on Monday (6/4/2026). In his lecture, the West Java Governor emphasised the importance of authentic leadership that is not built merely on image-building. The figure familiarly called KDM stated that Indonesia needs leaders born from honest feelings and depth of heart, not just the result of framing or engineered communication. “What we need today is original leadership. Not staged leadership, not framing, but leadership born from feeling and love for the nation,” said KDM in front of the officer students. The figure also nicknamed “Bapak Aing” discussed the unique character of the TNI as an institution that is not only structural but also has strong philosophical, ideological, and historical dimensions. According to him, the TNI was born from the conscience of the Indonesian people who desire independence, peace, and social justice. He described the TNI as a cultural milieu or cultural environment that is inseparable from natural elements such as earth, water, air, and sun. These four elements, said KDM, are important foundations in building national defence strength. “True soldiers are those who do not betray their earth, water, air, and sun because from there the strength of defence is born,” he said.