Filling the Vacuum in Government Communication in the Democratic Era

The rapid spread of misinformation on social media outpaces government clarifications and confirmations on evolving public issues. The government’s role in shaping narratives remains less prominent compared to content creators who frequently embellish information to attract public attention. This was recognised by Anggy Pasaribu, founder of Story of Anggy, who describes it as a government narrative vacuum, indirectly eroding public trust in those in power. ‘If key actors do not actively build their own narratives, the public will seek explanations from other sources perceived as quicker and more emotional. When public trust wanes, even the best policies become easier to suspect than to understand,’ he said during The Habibie Center’s ‘Strengthening State Governance for Democratic Resilience’ Dialogue at Wisma Habibie-Ainun in Jakarta. Anggy, a former journalist and executive producer at several television stations, also stated that the government can no longer rely solely on media releases and press conferences to communicate with the public. The public, he added, now only takes short video clips to address their concerns about an issue. ‘This is very different from a few years ago when people would wait for official statements to understand an issue. Now, nobody wants to read or listen; they’ll just check social media and grab clips,’ he continued. Echoing Anggy, Julian Aldrin Pasha, chair of The Habibie Center’s Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, explained that the core issue today is public trust in the government. ‘This is a problem we all recognise. I believe democracy is strong with trust. If asked what needs fixing, it’s trust first,’ said the University of Indonesia political science lecturer.