UIN Jakarta Professor Proposes Five-Pillar Framework for Government Communication

Jakarta, Berita UIN Online — The institutional restructuring of Indonesia’s Government Communications Agency (BAKOM RI) should be accompanied by an integrated, measurable and responsive communication framework that addresses public needs. This was the view put forward by Prof. Dr Gun Gun Heryanto, M.Si., Professor of Political Communication at the Faculty of Da’wah and Communication Sciences (FDIKOM), UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, during a discussion on BAKOM RI’s institutional design in Jakarta on Tuesday (27 October 2026).

At the forum, held in the BAKOM RI Meeting Room on Jalan Veteran III, Central Jakarta, Gun Gun Heryanto presented his proposal entitled “Government Communication Architecture: Evaluating Communication during the First Two Years of the Prabowo–Gibran Administration”. The proposal outlines a framework for organising government communication that goes beyond information dissemination to encompass policy coordination, issue management, data utilisation and stronger engagement with the public.

The discussion formed part of the process of restructuring BAKOM RI and provided a platform for academic exchanges on strengthening communication governance across ministries and government agencies.

Under the proposed framework, government communication should be recognised as a strategic component of governance. Its success, he argued, should not be measured solely by the volume of information disseminated, but also by the consistency of messages across institutions, the clarity of information received by the public, and the government’s ability to respond to public concerns and criticism.

From this perspective, the institutional transition from the Presidential Communications Office to BAKOM RI presents an opportunity to establish a more integrated government communication system. Such restructuring needs to be supported by clear mandates, an appropriate division of responsibilities, effective coordination mechanisms and performance indicators that can be evaluated regularly.

Five Pillars for Integrating Government Communication
One of the key proposals presented by Gun Gun Heryanto is a five-pillar framework for government communication. The model is designed to clarify the strategic functions of communication while strengthening connections between policymakers, communication practitioners and the public.

The five pillars comprise:

1. Political Communication, focusing on communication with the House of Representatives (DPR), political parties, governing coalitions and interest groups.

2. Public Communication, covering policy information, public information services, public education and the management of communication channels.

3. Government Organisational and Institutional Communication, aimed at strengthening coordination among the public relations functions of ministries, government agencies and regional administrations.

4. Presidential Communication, encompassing the coordination of presidential messages and communication agendas, strengthening the role of spokespersons, and enabling rapid responses to emerging issues and communication crises.

5. Information Technology and Data Monitoring Support, providing cross-cutting support through data analysis, monitoring public discourse, early-warning systems, monitoring dashboards and communication evaluation.

Under the proposed model, BAKOM RI would serve as the coordinator of government communication, aligning the various communication functions to ensure consistency and effective coordination. Information technology and data analysis would provide the foundation for more evidence-based and measurable decision-making.

The framework also highlights the importance of clarifying the respective roles of BAKOM RI, the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), the Ministry of State Secretariat, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, and other ministries and government agencies. Clear mandates are essential to ensure effective coordination without overlapping responsibilities or functions.

Measuring Communication Quality, Not Just Information Reach
Alongside institutional design, Gun Gun Heryanto highlighted the need for an evaluation system to assess the quality of government communication on a regular basis. One proposal outlined in his presentation was the development of a Government Communication Index (Indeks Komunikasi Pemerintah, IKP).

The proposed index comprises assessments of four communication pillars based on public surveys and a supporting pillar based on surveys of government public relations personnel and system audits. The framework is intended to assess various aspects of government communication, including message consistency, public understanding of information, institutional coordination, the credibility of presidential communication and data-support capacity.

This measurement approach is important for distinguishing communication activities from their actual impact. The volume of published information or the reach of communication channels does not necessarily demonstrate that the public understands government policies or receives the information it needs.

The presentation therefore also emphasised the need for standardised communication protocols, covering risk and contextual identification, the formulation of key messages, the designation of authorised spokespersons, channel selection and the evaluation of communication outcomes.

The Evidence-Based Communication Protocol (EBCP) framework introduced in the presentation places data, research, message testing and evaluation at the heart of communication decision-making. This approach would enable communication strategies to be developed in response to public needs and circumstances, rather than relying solely on assumptions or technical considerations related to publication.

Government Communication Must Listen to Public Concerns
The proposed communication architecture also recognises that government messages are not received directly or uniformly by all members of the public. Mass media, public figures, interest groups, political parties and other actors in the public sphere all influence how people interpret information and government policies.

Government communication should therefore operate as a two-way process. In addition to ensuring that policy information is conveyed accurately and consistently, the government needs mechanisms to listen to public concerns, understand criticism, identify emerging issues and respond in a timely manner.

This approach places transparency, consistency and accountability at the centre of government communication. Monitoring public discourse and analysing data should not be limited to detecting emerging issues; these activities should also help the government understand public information needs and evaluate the effectiveness of its responses.

UIN Jakarta’s Academic Contribution to Government Governance
Gun Gun Heryanto’s participation in the discussion on BAKOM RI’s institutional design highlights the role academics can play in public policy development, particularly in political communication and government communication.

Academic perspectives can enrich institutional restructuring through conceptual frameworks, analysis of public discourse dynamics and evaluation models that can be applied over time. This would help ensure that government communication design considers not only organisational effectiveness but also the public’s need for information that is accurate, accessible and accountable.

Through the proposed five-pillar communication architecture, the restructuring of BAKOM RI could move towards a more integrated communication system, supported by clearly defined functions, adequate data infrastructure and measurable evaluation mechanisms.

The proposal underscores that strengthening government communication is not merely a matter of delivering messages. It also requires building a system capable of aligning policies, explaining public decisions and responding to changing public needs on an ongoing basis. (Fdikom Press Release/Zm)