Gov’t Public Relations Must Satisfy Public Demand: Deputy Cabinet Secretary

Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Work Support Thanon Aria Dewangga attends the Government public relations meeting, Thursday (1/10) in Jakarta. Photo by: PR/Oji

The Government’s public relations must satisfy public demands for information, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Work Support Thanon Aria Dewangga has said.

“The question is whether or not the Government’s media has satisfied public demand for information” Thanon said during the forum for coordination of Government and State-Owned Enterprises public relations in Jakarta, Thursday (1/10).

In this information age, Thanon added, public demand for information is very high.

However, nowadays there are many tools to meet public need and apart from the Government’s media, there are also conventional media, social media, and non-government media, he added.

Thanon went on to say that being accommodating, innovative, and responsive is imperative for the Government’s public relations to satisfy public demand for information.

Being accommodating, he added, means that high-ranking officials of the Government public relations must be willing to accommodate their staffers and the public, while being innovative is to catch up with the rapid flow of information.

“By creating new innovations, the public will not be bored and will always look forward to the information that we provide,” the Deputy said.

Thanon further said that being responsive means that the Government public relations must also provide two-way communication. The challenges for being responsive, he added, come from several factors namely men, machines, money, methods, and materials.

“By being accommodating, innovative and responsive, we will satisfy public demand for information and generate trust,” Thanon said, while calling on the Government’s public relations to manage time effectively and efficiently.

“Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past,” Thanon said, quoting British writer George Orwell. (TGH/UN)

Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Reviewed by: Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas