FWK Criticizes Government Public Communication, Officials are Considered to Have Minimal Empathy

JAKARTA - The public communication of the Prabowo-Gibran government is considered weak. The National Journalists Forum or FWK said that a number of state officials often appear without empathy when explaining the problems that are pressing the community.

FWK Coordinator Raja Parlindungan Pane said government officials needed to listen more, not just answer criticism with a defensive attitude.

"Public communication needs empathy. State officials need to hear the difficulties faced by the community. The selfish and denial attitude often shown by state officials will only add to the negative perception of some people towards the Prabowo-Gibran government," said Raja Pane in a national discussion in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

The discussion was also attended by former Deputy Chairman of the Press Council Hendry Ch Bangun, FWK Secretary Budi Nugraha, as well as a number of editors-in-chief and founders of FWK, including M Nasir, Dadang Rachmat, Umi Sjarifah, Rudy Sitompul, and Herwan Pebriansyah.

FWK highlighted President Prabowo Subianto's speech on Bhayangkara Day on July 1, 2026. At that time, Prabowo asked the National Police to feel the suffering of the people and maintain public trust. These two messages are considered relevant not only for the National Police, but also for government officials.

Hendry Ch Bangun said that empathy was important for people who were having a hard time to feel that the government was present. According to the former Chairman of the PWI Pusat, the economic pressure due to the global energy crisis and the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate must be explained in a calm, clear, and hopeful language.

The burden of living for the community, said FWK, does not only come from the increase in the price of basic necessities. Some residents also lost their livelihoods due to job termination. In the discussion, the phenomenon of mothers picking up leftover vegetables at the market to reduce household expenses was also mentioned.

M Nasir assessed that state officials must have a sense of crisis, or sensitivity to crises. Without it, people's difficulties can accumulate and last longer.

"In addition to communicating with empathy, state officials must have a sense of crisis so that the people's difficulties do not accumulate and last long," said M Nasir.

FWK noted that the weakness of empathy makes officials' statements often reap negative reactions on social media. The public not only reads policies, but also reads the tone, word choices, and attitudes of officials when explaining the policy.

A number of issues were highlighted. Among them were the increase in the price of Pertamax, the alternating power outages in Java, and the explanation regarding the Red and White Cooperative. FWK assessed that some officials in these issues appeared to be the ones who knew the most, but underestimated the burden felt by the public.

M Nasir called such a pattern as a "careless" attitude. Because they feel officials, they want to be heard and understood, but not necessarily show the same concern for the people's difficulties.

FWK Economic Coordinator Herry Sinamarata said that Indonesia's economic transformation policy and challenges need to be better communicated. Economy, said Herry, is not just numbers.

According to Herry, the government also needs to build a narrative that shows direction, gives certainty, and cultivates optimism. Without good communication, even the right policy can sound far from the daily lives of citizens.