PUBLIC RELATIONS OF DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF RAILWAYS ATTENDS THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION FORUM OF 2021 IN JAKARTA

(Jakarta - 05/10). As a form of fostering and improving the quality of Public Relations HR, Public Relations of the Directorate General of Railways attended the 2021 Transportation Sector Public Relations Communication Forum activity organized by the Ministry of Transportation's Public Information and Communication Bureau entitled "Public Relations Must Be A Hero In Pandemic Era" on Tuesday (05/10). The activity, which was held online and offline, was attended by public relations managers in the transportation sector, both internally from the Ministry of Transportation and from operator business entities engaged in transportation services.

In his keynote speech delivered at the beginning of the event, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi emphasized the importance of the role of public relations in the transportation sector in managing public communication activities related to handling the pandemic and its impact on this sector. "The theme of this event, public relations must be a hero in the pandemic era has a very deep meaning, namely that public relations as part of transportation people must be able to harmonize narrative delivery and build public trust in safe, safe, comfortable, healthy and safe transportation services. affordable," he said.

Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation also reminded that one of the important tasks of public relations is to disseminate information on policies, development, and transportation services, build optimism, build image and reputation, and harmonize institutional interests with stakeholders. "According to the President's direction, public relations in the transportation sector need to build optimism about the services provided, and must prioritize the delivery of information through communication strategies that reduce the possibility of distortion," said the Minister of Transportation.

In this event, there are three sessions of three speakers. The first session was by the Spokesperson for the Minister of Transportation as well as the Special Staff for Communication and HR, Adita Irawati with the theme of the dialogue forum "A Challenge: Public Relations Must Be a Hero in the Pandemic Era". The second material was given by Psychologist Oriza Sativa with the topic "Improving the Mental Resilience of the Transportation Sector Public Relations in the Pandemic Era" and closed by the Head of the Narrative and Digital Communication Team of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Iwan Setiawan as the final resource person with a discussion on "The Role of Public Relations in the Transportation Sector in Maintaining Sustainability in Digital era"

This forum was attended by 70 (seventy) participants who attended offline and 300 participants who attended virtually. All participants of this forum are communication managers or public relations from regulatory elements within the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia (at Echelon I Work Units both at the head office and Technical Implementation Units/UPTs in the regions); elements of transportation facilities and infrastructure operators from BUMN, BUMD, and Private Business Entities; and work partners of the Ministry of Transportation from Ministries/Institutions, such as Ministry of PU-PR, BASARNAS, Jasa Marga, Jasa Raharja, and others.

At the end of his remarks, the Minister of Transportation expressed his appreciation for the role of public relations so far, which has been at the forefront of the communication process to the public in the midst of a pandemic. "In line with the collaborative campaign of transportation personnel serving the country, spread information to the public that we must be friendly with the Covid-19 pandemic, which in the future will become endemic in which health protocols must continue to be carried out," concluded the Minister of Transportation. (HJA/JM/SPN)