According to Minister of Communication and Information, Budi Arie Setiadi, solid public communication must be carried out from the level of the central government to regional governments so that the important issues that are discussed by ASEAN can be made known to the public.
"The 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta will be held in the coming days. We need to prepare the more solid and effective orchestration of public communications," he said at the 2023 National Convention on Functional Positions of Public Relations Pranata, which was followed online from Jakarta on Monday.
The ASEAN Summit, which will take place from September 7–9, 2023, will demonstrate Indonesia's capability to lead the Southeast Asian region at an international forum, he added.
The theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth" reflects Indonesia's wish to make the ASEAN region a center of peace and welfare, not only for member countries, but also in the Indo-Pacific and the world.
Taking note of this, Setiadi advised and urged public relations officials in ministries, institutions, and regional governments to jointly raise ASEAN issues so that the messages and achievements of the bloc are conveyed to the public.
According to him, there are two challenges when it comes to public communication regarding the 2023 ASEAN chairmanship.
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The first challenge is that the priority issues and themes of ASEAN discussions are not well-known and widely understood by the public because the communication and coordination assets of government institutions have not been utilized optimally.
Citing the success of communication efforts during Indonesia's G20 presidency in 2022, the minister invited all public relations officials in all sectors, both government and private, to provide holistic support for the reporting of the 43rd ASEAN Summit.
"This year, we can repeat the same success, even more getting better. You can participate regularly to meet the public space by making content about ASEAN," he said.
Furthermore, the ministry will lead public communication by producing various forms of content for news at the media center for the ASEAN Summit, Setiadi added.
He said he hopes that through such content, such as writing, videos, photos, and graphics, more news about ASEAN will be spread widely to the public.
"Let us take concrete steps to support the joint campaign for the Kinetic Public Communication of the 43rd ASEAN Summit," he added.
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Translator: Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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