New Bakom Head: Social Media Now Behaves Like the Press, Many Presidential Policies Need Explanation

The Head of the Indonesian Government Communication Agency (Bakom), Muhammad Qodari, stated that he will promote better government communication through closer cooperation with various ministries, agencies, and mass media. “Insha Allah, I am very close with media friends and hopefully this closeness will make the communication process better and even better,” Qodari said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday. Qodari said his new role as Head of Bakom RI is a significant responsibility due to the numerous government programmes under President Prabowo Subianto that need to be explained to the public, including the background and objectives of each policy being implemented. Qodari said he does not want to rush into actions because the current media landscape is very different from 10 to 20 years ago. In addition to conventional mass media, he said, social media now plays a major role and some of them behave like the press. He said this condition presents its own challenges that need further consideration in formulating government communication strategies. “Social media today also partly behaves like the press. But with regulations that may differ from those in the press, and at that point, this is certainly a unique challenge, and what and how we will think about it moving forward,” he said. Muhammad Qodari, who previously served as Presidential Chief of Staff, was officially inaugurated as Head of the Indonesian Government Communication Agency (Bakom) RI, replacing Angga Raka Prabowo. President Prabowo Subianto directly led the inauguration ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday. Qodari stood before the President accompanied by a religious figure. “That I will be loyal to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and will carry out all laws and regulations as straight as possible for the sake of my service to the nation and state,” said Prabowo, followed by Qodari.