Gerindra Spokesperson Acknowledges Communication Gaps Two Years into Prabowo Administration
As President Prabowo Subianto marks two years in office, his own party's spokesperson admits government communication remains ineffective despite significant policy achievements, calling for ministries to better explain accomplishments to the public.
Two Years of Prabowo, Gerindra Acknowledges Government Communication Still Lacks Effectiveness
On the second anniversary of President Prabowo Subianto's inauguration, a senior spokesperson from his own political party has acknowledged that the administration continues to struggle with effectively communicating its achievements to the Indonesian public.
Sugiat Santoso, spokesperson for the Gerindra Party—which Prabowo founded in 2008 and has led to become the third-largest party in Indonesia's House of Representatives with 86 seats—identified communication as a persistent weakness during a media interview on Tuesday.
"There are indeed areas that may not have been maximally executed, such as how the Prabowo administration communicates," Santoso stated when contacted by reporters on October 20, 2026, exactly two years after Prabowo took office as Indonesia's eighth president.
The critique comes from within the ruling coalition itself, as Santoso urged the administration's 48 ministers, five agency heads, and 56 deputy ministers and officials comprising the Merah Putih cabinet to intensify efforts in explaining governmental work to citizens.
"So that there's no more injustice in perception affecting Pak Prabowo. He has done a lot of work, but public opinion perception is still not optimal towards him. Meanwhile, the achievements are significant," Santoso explained.
Constitutional Economics and Village Cooperatives
Despite communication shortcomings, Santoso highlighted what he characterized as substantial accomplishments under the Prabowo-Gibran administration. Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of former President Joko Widodo and Indonesia's youngest-ever vice president at age 37, has been part of this two-year tenure.
Santoso emphasized the administration's commitment to implementing Article 33 of Indonesia's 1945 Constitution, which establishes economic sovereignty as the nation's foundational economic ideology. The constitutional provision requires the state to control important sectors of production and natural resources for the maximum benefit of the people, emphasizing economic democracy and national sovereignty.
"The implementation of Article 33. I believe that in the future, priority programs that focus on foundational aspects, such as Red and White Village Cooperatives, Fisherman Villages, and others, including people's schools, and MBG, are being managed better, will significantly impact the welfare of the people," Santoso added.
The Red and White Village Cooperatives program represents one of the administration's flagship initiatives. In May 2026, President Prabowo inaugurated 1,061 such cooperatives in Nganjuk, East Java, with ambitious plans to establish 30,000 by year's end. The ultimate goal envisions 81,000 cooperatives matching Indonesia's total number of villages and sub-districts.
These cooperatives function as integrated rural economic service hubs, featuring cooperative offices, basic necessities stores, savings and loan services, village pharmacies offering affordable generic medicines, warehouses, cold storage facilities, and transport vehicles designed to strengthen village-level supply chains.
Economic Sovereignty Over Corporate Interests
Santoso contrasted the current administration's approach with what he characterized as the previous government's more corporate-friendly stance, suggesting Prabowo has prioritized economic sovereignty over oligarchic interests.
"I believe that in the future, priority programs that focus on foundational aspects... are being managed better, will significantly impact the welfare of the people," he said, pointing to programs targeting fishermen, educational institutions, and community cooperatives.
The Gerindra spokesperson's assessment reflects the complex political dynamics surrounding the administration. Prabowo, who unsuccessfully challenged Joko Widodo in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections, later served as Jokowi's Defense Minister starting in 2019. Jokowi subsequently backed Prabowo's 2024 presidential bid by allowing his son Gibran to become Prabowo's running mate, creating an intricate coalition that bridges former political rivals.
As the administration moves into its third year, the acknowledgment of communication weaknesses from within the ruling party suggests recognition that policy implementation alone may be insufficient without effective public engagement strategies to shape citizen perceptions of governmental performance.