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Ganjar reaping benefits of legwork, online presence
Ganjar’s popularity could be largely attributed to his effective public relations team.
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Central Java’s Governor Ganjar Pranowo (center) speaks to reporters in Semarang in 2020.
C
entral Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has topped yet another electability poll, surpassing Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan according to a survey released by Indonesia-based Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) on Thursday.
His Instagram page, where he shares his daily activities, is followed by 4.8 million people. Then, there is his YouTube channel -- where he logs in his routines to over a million viewers, on top of an additional 2.5 million followers on Twitter.
Firman Noor, the director of the Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Center for Political Studies, said that Ganjar’s popularity could be largely attributed to his online success, or more specifically, an effective public-relations team.
“It is true indeed that his public-relations team has been pretty successful. It is possible for politicians to get additional support from social media, regardless of their achievements,” Firman told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Ganjar started building his online presence at least a decade ago, where he would interact directly with his followers to answer their concerns.
Read also: Potential candidates for 2024 presidential run eye ‘likes’ on social media
This personal approach to leadership has worked in his favor to grow a slow, yet steady base of supporters. His signature tagline has stayed consistent throughout the years: Tuanku ya rakyat, gubernur hanya mandat (my overlord is the people, the governorship is but a mandate).
