IN the context of increasingly complex democracy, communication plays an inseparable role in strengthening the foundation of a country's stability and progress. Effective and transparent communication between the government and its people is the main key to ensuring the resilience of democracy and political consolidation. Without constructive dialogue and honest information delivery, the process of political and social development will face various obstacles that can lead to public unrest and even instability.

Context of the Problem Let's take a deeper look at the following problems, where many public officials are not good at communicating across agencies, are not skilled at communicating in public spaces, fail to engage in dialectics in public discourse, are bad at managing political reputation, do not understand symbolic political communication, and often experience "slips of the tongue" due to minimal communication skills.

This inability to communicate can be seen from various statements by political officials circulating in the public space, both regarding the handling of the Covid-19 issue and the polemic of the Job Creation Law, which resulted in public unrest. For example, the Minister of Transportation in the Jokowi Era, Budi Karya Sumadi, once said, "The corona virus is not found in Indonesia because the people have immunity obtained from their fondness for eating cat rice." This statement shows the shallowness of empathy for the dangerous situation faced by the public due to Covid-19 and at the same time proves a lack of understanding of communication psychology during critical times.

In addition, the massive circulation of unclear, uncoordinated information, and often “paradoxical statements” between officials, has created public confusion and sparked widespread protests in certain cases. This situation shows that public communication is not only about conveying information, but also building trust with the public. When that trust is disrupted by poor communication, the public is more easily provoked by negative issues as its implications. In fact, this problem should have been prevented through effective communication; with detailed, transparent, and planned explanations.

Communication Perspective Solutions

The various tangled communication issues above make us realize one important thing that communication is now not only a tool to convey messages, but has developed into a strategic element that determines the direction of policy and manages public perception of the government. In addition, the communication terminology put forward by Lous Allen as a "bridge of meaning", has been successfully played by Dr. Gun Gun Heryanto through his book "Ragam Persalan Komunikasi Politik Indonesia" which offers a critical, sharp, and comprehensive perspective to unravel various political communication issues that occur in Indonesia, ranging from election regulation problems to public communication challenges during the pandemic.

More specifically, Dr. Gun Gun also invites readers to reflect on how political communication can act as a tool to strengthen democracy amidst paradoxical political realities. This is evident in the early chapters of this book, such as discussing the quality of elections and democratic regulations and emphasizing the importance of integrity in the political process. In the author's perspective, elections are a reflection of the health of democracy that can only be realized through the commitment of all parties to maintain political justice and civility, including the commitment to civilized and consolidative communication.

In another discussion, Dr. Gun Gun captured the pattern of political communication in Indonesia which often becomes a stage for “elite drama,” where the messages delivered do not always reflect the public interest. This is reviewed in detail in Erving Goffman’s Dramaturgy analysis, which explains how political actors play different roles on the front and back stages. This paradox of political communication is a common thread that describes the complexity of Indonesia’s political problems.

Admittedly, one of the main strengths of this book is the author's ability to unravel the complexity of political events through the framework of communication theory. Dr. Gun Gun carefully applies various theories, including the Theory of Planned Behavior and Political Dramaturgy, to explain why political behavior often appears contradictory.

In his discussion of election regulation, for example, the Theory of Planned Behavior is used to analyze how subjective norms and behavioral control can influence actors' political decisions. This theoretical landscape provides a clear picture of how political communication is influenced not only by the message delivered, but also by the social and psychological context surrounding it.

Other parts of the book, such as the chapter discussing the role of media in the digital era, show the relevance of political literacy in facing the challenges of hoaxes and disinformation. Dr. Gun Gun emphasizes the importance of the media as a guardian of information integrity, even though it often faces political pressure that makes it vulnerable to bias. This perspective is relevant for readers who want to understand how the media can function as a tool of democratic control as well as an effective channel for political communication.

Discussing crises such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the book also offers a critical analysis of how uncoordinated public communication can exacerbate public distrust of the government. Consistent and empathetic narratives are key to building public trust, something that Dr. Gun Gun said was less than optimal in Indonesia's handling of the pandemic.

In conclusion, the book Ragam Persalan Komunikasi Politik Indonesia not only offers a sharp analysis of political communication issues in Indonesia, but also provides a roadmap for understanding how communication can be used as a tool for social transformation. However, it seems that the tangled thread of political communication issues in Indonesia has not been fully unraveled because several important political events in the 2024 political landscape have not been included in this book. I have high hopes that the 2024 political series will be presented by Dr. Gun Gun in a separate book.

Overall, this book is an important reference for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of Indonesian politics from a communication perspective. By combining academic theory and analysis of contemporary political reality, Dr. Gun Gun has truly made a major contribution to the development of political communication discourse in the country.