Handling the Sumatra Disaster is Proof of the Shift in the Government's Communication Strategy

JAKARTA - Political communication expert, Hendri Satrio, assessed that the press conference of the Cabinet Secretary (Seskab) Teddy Indra Wijaya regarding the flood and landslide disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra showed an increase in the public communication of the Prabowo Subianto government.

"What was conveyed by the Secretary of State Teddy Indra Wijaya can provide information about the current conditions in the Sumatra disaster area. This shows an increase in the public communication sector," he said, Friday, January 2.

As is known, in the press conference, the government through the Seskab Teddy Indra Wijaya conveyed concrete data such as the delivery of 12 helicopters for evacuation, the connection of emergency bridges, and the restoration of 80 percent of hospital and health center services.

This is what is considered to help reduce public speculation about the government's role this time.

"Clear and data-based communication like this helps guide public perception and build confidence that recovery efforts are on track," continued Hensat.

According to him, this approach is an indicator of a shift in the government's communication strategy, from a reactive response to the presentation of measurable data that reduces the information gap on social media.

"This is a blueprint for crisis communication that can be used again for any situation in the future, with transparency as a key element in managing public distrust," he continued.

The founder of the KedaiKOPI Survey Institute said that this public communication development is a positive signal for the government in facing the challenges of multidimensional crises such as disasters in Sumatra.

However, the effectiveness of such communication models also depends on implementation in the field and responses to input from various parties.

"This increase in transparency is a positive signal, but its success will be tested by consistency in the future and the government's ability to answer every information gap that still exists in the field," concluded Hensat.