ast week’s “mini” cabinet shake-up, which saw President Prabowo Subianto installing a new government spokesperson and a special advisor for communication, could be easily seen as an admission that the President does have a multitude of public relations problems.
A quick scroll on social media is enough to show the extent of that public relations problem, with netizens expressing vitriol toward not only some of the government’s signature projects, the free nutritious meal program in particular, but also making personal attacks against the President and members of his inner circle.
The anger and criticism toward government policies as well as key members of President Prabowo’s administrations has been relentless and almost on all fronts.
From his decision to join United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BOP) to the initiative in the early days of the US-Israeli war against Iran to serve as a mediator, these actions have mostly drawn scorn from even the most uninitiated watchers of international politics.
The response from the President to the outrage has followed a familiar pattern now; gather senior politicians—former presidents and retired foreign ministers if need be—brief them about the President’s intentions and dispatch them for a press briefing to defend the controversial decision.
The decision to inaugurate Dudung Abdurrachman, a former Indonesian Military (TNI) general known for his bluster and bravado while serving as the Army chief of staff should also be seen from a public relations point of view.
Every Thursday
With the large number of ministries and agencies in President Prabowo’s administration, the cabinet has been less effective in dealing with numerous problems and challenges, especially as the world is rocked by multiple economic and geopolitical crises.
