TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto acknowledged that his administration had poor communication in conveying policies to the public during an economic forum at Mandiri Tower, Jakarta, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Prabowo explained that he held the economic forum with economists and investors to be more open about the current situation. “A few weeks ago, I realized that communication from the government I lead had been somewhat lacking. And that’s my responsibility,” he said in his speech.
Prabowo argued that he prioritizes evidence-based performance, making him reluctant to speak publicly without tangible results. He emphasized that he wanted to be judged solely on his achievements.
The Gerindra Party chairman revealed that he formed a small team to start working immediately after the General Election Commission declared him the winner of the presidential election. He said the team worked for five months without media coverage, noting that media attention sometimes made work harder because journalists demanded instant results. “Only Prophet Moses with his staff could deliver instant miracles. We humans can’t. Everything requires planning,” he remarked.
Misstep Amid Terror: The Pig Head Controversy
On April 6, President Prabowo admitted that a statement by Hasan Nasbi, head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), about the pig’s head terror incident targeting Tempo’s office was misguided. Nasbi had suggested that the pig’s head, sent to Tempo journalist Francisca Christy Rosana, should simply be cooked.
“That was a careless remark, a mistake in my view. And I think he regrets it,” Prabowo said during an interview at Hambalang, Bogor Regency, West Java, on April 6, 2025.
Najwa Shihab, founder of Narasi TV and a participant in the Prabowo interview, gave Tempo permission to quote from it.
Prabowo attributed his team’s communication missteps to their inexperience in government roles. He noted that many came from diverse backgrounds and hadn’t quickly adapted to public communication. “Perhaps it’s because they’re new to government positions, which are always under scrutiny. People from planning, surveying, or academic worlds stepping onto the public stage sometimes struggle to adjust quickly, in my opinion,” he said.
On Sunday, Prabowo hosted a meeting with six media leaders at his residence, Padepokan Garuda Yaksa, in Hambalang, Bogor. The 3.5-hour session, starting at 9:00 am, included IDN Times editor-in-chief Uni Lubis; tvOne editor-in-chief Lalu Mara Satriawangsa; Narasi founder Najwa Shihab; Detikcom editor-in-chief Alfito Deannova; Kompas Daily editor-in-chief Sutta Dharmasaputra; SCTV-Indosiar editor-in-chief Retno Pinasti; and TVRI presenter Valerina Daniel.
A Tone-Deaf Comment or Just a Joke?
In mid-March, Tempo faced a series of terror and intimidation acts: a package containing a pig’s head without ears, a parcel with six decapitated dead rats, and a digital crime involving the doxxing of Francisca Christy Rosana—known as Cica—a political desk journalist and co-host of the Bocor Alus podcast.
Rather than condemning the terror, Hasan Nasbi, head of the Presidential Communication Office, sparked controversy by suggesting the pig’s head be cooked. “Just cook it,” he said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta on Thursday, March 20.
Nasbi based his comment on Cica’s social media response on X, which he interpreted as a joke. He argued that if the victim herself didn’t feel threatened, the incident shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. “I saw Cica’s post on social media. She asked to be sent pork. That means she didn’t feel threatened—she could joke about it. ‘Send me some pork, please,’” Nasbi recounted.
He also questioned whether the pig’s head was genuinely a threat or merely a prank. “Is it really what it seems? Or just a joke? Because they responded to it with humor,” Hasan Nasbi said.
Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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