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CIT ministry serves as PR agent
Minister of Communication and Information Technology Tifatul Sembiring said his office has performed public relations duties for the government since beginning his second-term in office in October
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inister of Communication and Information Technology Tifatul Sembiring said his office has performed public relations duties for the government since beginning his second-term in office in October.
“We have been doing PR work for the government, with the approval of [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono],” he said in keynote address opening the two-day international conference of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) here Wednesday.
This is a major departure from the more limited role the ministry played in Yudhoyono’s first-term Cabinet in 2004-2009, but he stressed that his office would not revert back to the practices of the old Ministry of Information of the Soeharto era that imposed tight control on the flow of information.
During that time, the government also had full control over the state-run TVRI television channel and RRI radio station.
Tifatul said his ministry’s PR role was justifiable because of imbalances in the flow of news and information in Indonesia.
“We can’t let two TV stations dictate the flow of news,” he said, apparently referring to Indonesia’s two privately run all-news TV stations with national reaches that seem to dominate the news scene.
Tifatul criticized Indonesia’s media for portraying street protests as if they were nationwide when they only took place in two or three cities, and for omitting stories about the government’s achievements in economic development and in ensuring security and political stability.
Prior to Tifatul’s arrival in October, the ministry had been largely passive in disseminating information to the public. His disclosure of an expanded portfolio suggests the ministry has been more proactive in constructing propaganda for the government. Although it has had minimal impact, with the government seemingly more on the defensive against critics.
Yudhoyono’s PR work during his first term was largely conducted by a unit within the Presidential Palace, and each government ministry has its own department to handle its PR.
Tifatul said one of his ministry’s first tasks was to disseminate information on the national summit to discuss the government’s first 100-days, but he admitted that this important event had been undermined by controversies, first the arrest of two Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputies, and now the 2008 Bank Century bailout.
He also said that beginning in April, all government agencies would be obliged to open their records to the public under the new law on public information. The law, enacted by the House of Representatives in 2008, gives a two-year grace for all government agencies to prepare for compliance.
“Failure to comply will have legal consequences,” he said.
IPRA President Elizabeth Goenawan Ananto, in her opening remarks at the conference, urged PR practitioners to embrace a new paradigm, commensurable with the new digital era.
“Emerging social media networks are having a major impact politically, economically and socially,” said Elizabeth, who took over the presidency on Tuesday from Maria Gergova of Bulgaria. ‘“This calls for a change in paradigm for public relations practitioners,” she added.
The conference, themed “Global Reach — Regional Leadership”, brings in top public relations practitioners from around the world.
