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Tifatul Sembiring is the minister who tweets
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JP/R.Berto Wedhatama
JAKARTA: How can a top government official get comments and ideas directly from the people?
By tweeting, of course. At least, for new Information and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring, twitter is the feedback medium of choice.
After his inauguration last month, Tifatul introduced himself to fellow twitterers with the nickname @tifsembiring. He immediately gathered a large following.
While many politicians might prefer to maintain a serious demeanor, Tifatul likes to tweet humorous poems.
He is also seeking input from members of the public by asking what they want in the telecommunications sector, using hashtag #tifsembiringasking.
Asked whether it is actually he who tweets, Tifatul said, “Sometimes I do. Tweets are short so I can still write them.”
Tweets at @boediono — for Vice President Boediono — are not written by the VP, but members of his staff.
Tifatul added jokingly, “That’s why I said to fellow bloggers at the blogger party [last month], you’re lucky that a blogger became minister.” — JP
