Who is the President's Accuracy Guard?

Photo by Luthfiah VOI

JAKARTA - Every sentence that comes out of the President's mouth is not just a speech. It is a political signal, a bureaucratic reference, as well as a message that is monitored by business actors, investors, diplomats, and the public. Therefore, the question that arises after the emergence of the debate regarding a number of data in President Prabowo Subianto's speech is not only about the right or wrong of a figure. The more fundamental is: how did the data actually get to the President's desk?

Has every speech passed through a layered verification process? Or does spontaneous speech really open the door to the emergence of data errors that escape the verification process?

Behind the podium of the Palace, there is a system that involves the Presidential Secretariat, the Cabinet Secretariat, technical ministries, to government communication units. However, how strong the system is to maintain the accuracy of information is still a question that deserves to be tested.

In the practice of modern government, the material for the President's speech is not born from one table. Each issue is generally prepared by a ministry or technical agency that has authority over the data.

The Presidential Secretariat then compiles the material, while the Cabinet Secretariat ensures that the substance of the policy is in line with government decisions. For strategic issues, input also comes from related ministries, presidential advisers, to the results of cabinet meetings. The transcript of the President's official speech is also documented and published by the Cabinet Secretariat as part of state documentation.

Professor of Political Communication at Airlangga University, Prof. Dr. Henri Subiakto, S.H., M.Si., assessed that the President's communication should not only rely on rhetorical ability.

"Government political communication must be based on credible data. Public trust is built not only by the style of speech, but by the accuracy of the information conveyed," he said.

According to Henri, the ideal government communication system has a cross-check mechanism for each strategic data before becoming the official statement of the head of state.

In the tradition of presidentialism in various countries, spontaneous speeches do not mean without preparation. The president usually receives a briefing book, fact sheets, key statistical data, to points that must be avoided.

Spontaneity Must Be Supported by Data, Facts and Professional Communication Advisors

Professor of Political Science at the University of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Philips J. Vermonte, said spontaneity is part of the style of political communication, but it must still be supported by valid data.

"A president may speak spontaneously, but that spontaneity should remain within the verified information corridor."

Therefore, in the practice of modern government, briefings before the President appears in public are an integral part of the state communication process.

In many democratic countries, there are internal fact-checking mechanisms before the head of state's speech is delivered. In Indonesia, this function is administratively spread across technical ministries, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Presidential Secretariat, and government communication units tasked with coordinating the delivery of public messages. The government's communication structure is formed to coordinate the President's communication materials and ensure consistency between messages.

However, experts assess that there is no mechanism that openly explains how the verification process is carried out before the President speaks in public.

Public administration expert from Gadjah Mada University, Prof. Dr. Agus Pramusinto, MDA, said good governance requires a clear verification system.

"In modern government governance, every strategic information must have a verification trail so that when there is an error, it can be known at what point the error occurred," he said.

For the lecturer of Communication Science at the University of Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Yanti Amiliani, public communication based on data and facts is not just a complementary menu in the government. Because, this issue is related to the ability of an official who is building empathy to the community.

Effective communication is communication that is not only able to convey information, but also builds trust. According to Amilia, the public not only hears the message, but also captures the attitude reflected through the choice of words, intonation, and the way a state official presents it. Therefore, honesty is the next important character that state officials must have, considering that the information conveyed must be based on facts and data that can be accounted for.

"Honest messages will produce consistency. Moreover, now all statements are documented on social media. The public is very easy to compare between what has been said and what has been done. The discrepancy between words and actions is precisely one of the causes of the decline in the credibility of officials in the eyes of the public," he said.

The statement of a blunder by a state official not only impacts the image of the individual concerned. In communication science, communication errors can also affect the legitimacy of government policies as a whole. Because, it will be more difficult for the public to accept a policy, if trust in the officials who convey it has decreased.

"Statements that are not based on data, are not consistent, or do not show empathy can certainly hurt the trust of our people. In fact, every policy needs public support to run well," he said.

Trust, continued Amilia, is a social capital that cannot be built only through the achievement of programs. The way the government explains the reasons for a policy is also a factor that determines public acceptance.

He emphasized the importance of the role of communication advisors in government. Moreover, the ability to speak is not automatically possessed by everyone, including the president.

"Everyone can talk, but not everyone has communication skills. People who have communication skills know how to adjust the language to who they are talking to so that the message can be understood without causing misunderstandings," he added.

Amilia assessed that the presence of professional communication advisors is important to help the president formulate a strategy for delivering messages, especially in sensitive issues that have the potential to create misinterpretations. The purpose of government communication in every speech is not only to convey information, but also to build a sense of security and public trust. Therefore, when the statement of officials has caused polemics, the first step that needs to be taken is to admit the error.

"State officials should have the magnanimity to apologize if their words hurt their people. After apologizing, the government also needs to straighten out the meaning of the statement with correct information and based on facts so that public confidence can be restored," he said.

He emphasized that the quality of communication of officials will be increasingly decisive in the midst of the rapid flow of digital information. Because every speech can become public consumption in a matter of seconds, even policies that are designed carefully can lose support if communicated without caution.

In the end, in a democracy, speeches can indeed arouse enthusiasm. However, what keeps the public's trust is not rhetoric, but facts. Because in the end, history will not record who is the most skilled at speaking, but who is able to align words with data, and promises with real work.