Syahganda Nainggolan Appointed Head of Government Communications Agency

President Prabowo Subianto formally appointed Syahganda Nainggolan as Head of the Government Communications Agency (Bakom) on Friday, 2 October 2026, at the State Palace in Jakarta. The appointment was made through Presidential Decree No. 106P of 2026 and came as part of a broader ceremony swearing in 26 members of the Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres). Nainggolan replaced Muhammad Qodari, who was reassigned to serve as Secretary of the Wantimpres. Prabowo also appointed Fadli Tri Hartono as Deputy Head of Bakom.

Nainggolan, 60, is an activist, politician, and expert in social welfare science with a doctorate from Universitas Indonesia's Program in Social Welfare Science (2015). Born in Medan on 27 November 1965, he became known as an activist during his studies at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in the 1980s. His political activity during the Suharto era resulted in expulsion from ITB and a 10-month prison sentence. He completed his master's degree in Development Studies from ITB in 2005. Beyond academia, Nainggolan served as Commissioner of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II during the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration, founded Sabang Merauke Circle (SMC), a public policy research institute, in 2010, and was part of the Executive Committee of the Coalition for Saving Indonesia (KAMI) beginning in August 2020. He has lectured as a professor of Political Sociology at Universitas Kristen Indonesia since 2016.

Nainggolan's political engagement includes membership in the Partai Persatuan Daulat Rakyat (PDR) and founding Partai Merdeka to contest the 1999 elections during Indonesia's early Reformasi period. He served as special staff to the Minister of Cooperatives from 1998 to 1999 and as Executive Director of the Center for Information and Development Studies (CIDES) from 2004 to 2009. In recent years, he co-founded the GREAT Institute, a research institution focused on economics, politics, and technology. During his appointment briefing, Nainggolan stated that journalists are "the soul of this nation."

Nainggolan becomes the fourth head of Bakom since its establishment. The agency was originally called the Presidential Communications Office when Hasan Nasbi was appointed by President Joko Widodo in 2024. Under President Prabowo, the office was renamed Badan Komunikasi Pemerintah (Government Communications Agency) in October 2025. The position has changed hands three times under Prabowo's administration: Hasan Nasbi held it initially, followed by Angga Raka Prabowo from October 2025 to April 2026, then Muhammad Qodari until October 2026.

Fadli Tri Hartono, appointed as Deputy Head, holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from ITB (2012) and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Tsinghua University (2021). He previously served as special staff to the Minister of State Secretariat and held positions at Yayasan Pendidikan Kebangsaan Republik Indonesia. He is currently Chief Commissioner of PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi Tbk.