One of the youngest regional leaders in Indonesia turned out to be well versed in the role and function of public relations (PR). That’s how Arief is. He did not even reluctant to give input so that this annual event became a place to improve the competency for PR practitioners, including motivating and building awareness for all leaders in Indonesia.

Because Arief argued that in today’s era, no matter how hard they work – in this case is the regional government – it will be meaningless without the communication with the citizen. “Development should include all aspects. Everything must be integrated and synchronized with each other. To be able to get there, there must be a productive communication between the government, citizens, and all stakeholders,” said the man who was met by PR INDONESIA in Tangerang, Wednesday (5/9/2018).

This is where the importance of the role of PR. “PR is an art. The art of packing at the right moment, at the right place,” he said. For this reason, the Tangerang City Government held a routine agenda called the Public Relations Forum. The forum is an arena for each Regional Work Unit (SKPD) to socialize their programs.

“The goal is for the public to know and be involved in every program implemented by the government,” said the man who will be appointed as the Mayor of Tangerang for the second period in March 2019. “Don’t let the community feel that all of these are the works of the government. This is the work of all of us,” he added excitedly. That’s why the Tangerang City Government diligently campaign for the slogans that evoked a sense of belonging such as “Tangerang Ayo”, “Semangat dan Bangga Bangun Kota”, and etc.

The Power of PR

Interestingly, his awareness as a mayor for the role and function of PR also became Arief’s concern for all regional leaders. “I want 514 regency/city leaders throughout Indonesia to also pay attention to PR,” he said. Development is not just about building infrastructure. Don’t let the regency/city budget only run out for personnel expenditure, and the PR budget is not prioritized, and can’t be used to improve the community and private sectors.

 “As a regional leader, it is important for us to communicate to the public so that they know what programs are being worked on by the government, how they do it, and where they should be involved,” he said.

Look at Banyuwangi. The regency that was once identic with the city of santet (Javanese black magic) has now transformed into a tourism city and is one of the regions that has the densest calendar of event every year. Local and foreign tourists are flocking to visit this city. Arief sees Banyuwangi will not be as popular as today without the role and creativity of the PR. “This is what we called the power of PR. The selling is also good, it makes us all curious and feel that we have to visit there,” he said.

Therefore, he advised that the JAMPIRO #4 event which will be held in Semarang is also used by PR INDONESIA to build awareness and motivation to all regional leaders, including the ministry leaders and CEO of corporations. “PR can mobilize the extraordinary power such as what happens in Banyuwangi,” he added.

Arief statement’s then sparked the idea for PR INDONESIA to hold a “PR Summit for Leaders” in 2019. The idea was welcomed by Arief. He was even willing to make his city as the host of the event. (rtn)