SSI Research: While Other Ministers Are Still Fighting, Bahlil Justru Is a Booster for Prabowo's Image

Jakarta - The results of the research by Sintesa Strategi Indonesia (SSI) which shows the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) as well as the General Chairman of the Golkar Party, Bahlil Lahadalia, as the largest contributor to positive sentiment towards President Prabowo Subianto are considered to be proof of the effectiveness of political communication built by Golkar Party cadres in the government.

Chairman of the Golkar Party's Opinion Gathering Media (MPO), Nurul Arifin, said the findings showed that the public communication carried out by Bahlil not only succeeded in explaining various government policies, but also strengthened public confidence in President Prabowo's leadership.

"The SSI findings show that government communication requires figures who are able to translate the President's big vision into a language that is easy for the public to understand. Mr. Bahlil has consistently conveyed various government policies in a straightforward manner, so as to be able to build a positive sentiment towards the President," said Nurul Arifin to the media, Thursday, July 9.

According to the member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, as the main party supporting the government, Golkar indeed encourages all cadres in the cabinet to become communicators of policies, not just program implementers.

"Public communication is not enough just for the President. Ministers must also be an extension of the government in explaining the benefits of policies to the public. From the results of this research it can be seen that Mr. Bahlil is able to carry out this function well," he said.

Based on SSI research conducted through monitoring social media and online media from June 5 to July 2, 2026, Bahlil was recorded as a cabinet member with the largest positive contribution to President Prabowo of 40.1 percent. This figure is higher than Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka who recorded 31.5 percent and Lieutenant Colonel Teddy at 24.1 percent.

Nurul assessed that the achievement was inseparable from Bahlil's consistency in overseeing various strategic government agendas, especially in the energy sector, investment, downstream, and national energy security.

"He always comes to explain policies directly, answer criticism, and at the same time give optimism to the public. That is an added value in building public confidence in the Prabowo government," he said.

On the other hand, Nurul assessed that the results of the SSI study were also a reminder that government communication still depends heavily on the figure of the President. Therefore, according to him, the entire cabinet needs to improve the quality of public communication so that the development narrative is not only based on one figure.

"This is a joint evaluation. The government has many strategic programs that need to be delivered massively. All ministers must actively become spokespersons for policies in their respective fields so that the public receives complete information," he said.

SSI previously recorded more than 231 million content exposures and about 1.07 million digital conversations related to President Prabowo during the research period. As many as 71 percent of conversations came from social media, while 29 percent came from online media.

The research also found that government communication is still centered on the President. Less than 20 percent of content exposure regarding Prabowo is directly related to the Vice President or cabinet ministers. In the midst of this condition, Bahlil emerged as a cabinet figure with the largest positive contribution to the President, which is considered to show the effectiveness of the policy communication he built in the digital space.

According to this member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from West Java District 1, the results are a motivation for party cadres who are in the government to continue to prioritize informative, data-based, and community-oriented communication.

"The most important thing is not just popularity, but how communication can build public understanding of government policies so that public confidence in the President and the government is stronger," he said.