Jakarta --- Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid opened the Government Public Relations Coordination and Training Meeting with the theme Government Public Relations Synergy to Realize Advanced Indonesia Towards Golden Indonesia 2045 at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Education and Training Center (Pusdiklat Kemkomdigi), Jakarta, Wednesday (26/2/2025).

In her speech, Meutya emphasized that the government's public relations bureau must be more than just a conveyor of information. In the era of digital disruption and flood of information, public relations must be at the forefront in shaping public perception and fighting increasingly massive disinformation.

"We cannot just be reactive, just responding when the issue has already developed wildly. We must be proactive, build a solid narrative and ensure that the public gets the right information from the start," he said.

Meutya emphasized that synergy between government public relations is not just technical cooperation, but a national strategy in managing public narratives. She analogized the work of public relations with a football team, if there is no coordination, strategy, and proper execution, then defeat in the battle of public opinion is inevitable.

"We must not let government policies be defeated by hoaxes and wild narratives played by a handful of parties. Public relations must unite, have one voice, and ensure that government policies are well understood by the public," he said.

According to him, this narrative war is increasingly complex with the development of digital technology. Social media such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are now the main battlefields.

Based on a survey by the Katadata Insight Center (2022), 73 percent of internet users in Indonesia access information via social media, while a survey by the IDN Research Institute (2025) stated that 43 percent of Millennials and Gen-Z trust the information they get from social media more than conventional media.

"Therefore, we can no longer rely solely on old methods. Government public relations must be more creative, innovative, and able to adapt to the public's information consumption patterns," he said.

Meutya also emphasized that access to correct information is not only a need, but a human right protected by law.

"The public has the right to get correct information. If someone spreads wrong information, we must not remain silent. We must fight together," he said.

In the midst of the era of media convergence, Menkomdigi quoted communication thinker Marshall McLuhan who stated that communication technology always brings broad social and cultural impacts. This means that the role of public relations is not only to convey information, but must also be a leader in forming a healthy public discourse.

"We can't just be part of the conversation, we have to be the leaders of the conversation," he said.

Meutya also appreciated the Public Relations Coordinating Agency (Bakohumas) which has become the main pillar in building a credible public communication ecosystem.

He emphasized the importance of this synergy so that information about priority programs and strategic government policies can be conveyed effectively.

Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, also added that every ministry, institution, and regional government must have professional and adaptive communication staff to the changing times.

"Communication is not just a complement to policy, but part of the main strategy for the success of the policy itself. Without good communication, even good policies can fail to be understood by the public," he said.

Meutya Hafid and Hasan Nasbi agreed that with strong synergy between central and regional government public relations, a positive public communication space can be created.

"The correct narrative will not form by itself. We must create it. If we do not speak up, other parties will fill the public space with information that is not necessarily true. Government public relations must move faster, smarter, and more strategically," said Meutya Hafid.