THE IDEAL POSITION OF PUBLIC RELATION IN THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA IN MINISTRY OF COOPERATIVE AND SMEs

Abstract

Since the existence of Public Relation sector in Indonesia, Public Relation Unit as an institution has not been managed properly, although the Presidential Decree Number 45 of 1974 concerning the organizational structure of governmental departments has regulated the placement of Public Relation Unit, promoting its important existence until it gradually gains improvement. In the government circles, the attitude and view on Public Relation has only recently developed, at first as a unit dealing with matters relating to the mass media and having not directly involved people as a target of its activities. This study aims to evaluate the position of Public Relation in the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs to answer the questions of the study: (1) how is the relation between the position of echelon III and the performance level of Public Relation, and (2) what is the ideal position of Public Relation in the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs. This study applies Weber’s model of bureaucracy with a combination of two-way asymmetrical and two-way symmetrical models initiated by James Grunig and Todd Hunt (1984) and Cybernetics Model proposed by Littlejohn (1999). The findings show that (1) the position of Public Relation in the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs inhibits its functions and role because it is not given the opportunity to play the role as a communication technician and placed not in a dominant position. Therefore, Public Relation takes longer time to provide public services, and (2) the ideal Public Relation in the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs should be positioned at a more strategic level within the organizational structure, granted special authority from the supreme leader, and capable of deciding actions and serving without having to go through a long bureaucratic process.