Cabinet Secretariat Holds FGD to Improve Quality of Cabinet Meeting Report

Focused Group Discussion (FGD) on Improvement in the Quality of Cabinet Meeting Report adopting the title “The Grammar of Cabinet Meeting Transcript” held on Thursday (25/3). (Photo by: Cabinet Secretariat PR/Fitri)

In a bid to improve quality and competency in the use of grammar of governance, Office of the Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Work Support held a Focused Group Discussion (FGD) on Improvement in the Quality of Cabinet Meeting Report adopting the title “The Grammar of Cabinet Meeting Transcript”, on Thursday (25/3).

Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Work Support Thanon Aria Dewangga said that Indonesian language as the official language of the Republic of Indonesia must be used in any official communications including written or verbal communications in government institutions as mandated by the law.

“Thus, the use of Indonesian language correctly is mandatory for us who work at the Office of the Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Cabinet Work Support and for other government officers at ministries/ institutions,” he said when opening the FGD held in a hybrid format.

For the record, the office is responsible for organizing cabinet meetings including plenary cabinet meeting, limited meeting, and internal meeting led by the President, and make a transcript of the meeting. In 2020, the office has organized 196 meetings consisting of 10 plenary cabinet meetings, 115 limited meetings, 66 internal meetings, and 5 regional heads meetings.

According to the Deputy, translating verbal communications into written documents is really challenging since verbal communications often use informal language, local language, dialect, spontaneous expressions, specific terms, and abbreviations. Therefore, he continued, this FGD is aimed at addressing the challenges and providing in-depth knowledge on grammar of governance expected to be implemented in every day’s works for the sake of the Government, state, nation, and public services.

“I really hope we can minimize mistakes because once you make a mistake, there is no shield to protect you,” he said.

This discussion featured three speakers, among others, Head of National Agency for Language Development and Cultivation of the Ministry of Education and Culture, E. Aminudin Aziz who presented a subject “The National Policies on Language”; lecturer at Indonesian Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, Frans Asisi Datang who presented a subject “Variety of Grammar of Governance: Cabinet Meeting Transcript”; and Director of Narabahasa Ivan Lanin who presented a subject “Mistakes in Using Indonesian Language in Public”. (RF/UN) (RAS/MUR)