PUTRAJAYA: The Community Communications Department (J-Kom) is a strategic government communications agency focused on socio-political stability and not a partisan political machinery, says its director-general Datuk Ismail Yusop.
“I am talking about socio-politics, not party politics,” he said.
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Ismail said J-Kom operates within a whole-of-government ecosystem, where each ministry is responsible for communicating its own policies before facilitation at a broader level.
“Government communication exists within an ecosystem. It would not be fair to place that responsibility solely on the Communications Ministry or on J-Kom,” he told The Star.
He explained that policy formulation begins at the ministry level, followed by the development of communications strategies.
“Once the framework is ready, you need a communication strategy. What is the narrative? Who will speak? From there, the content goes up to the larger machinery, including RTM and the Information Department.”
J-Kom has had a chequered past. It came into being in 2021 after a “rebranding” from the Special Affairs Department (Jasa).
Initially, J-Kom was under the Prime Minister’s Department before it was moved to the Communications Ministry in December 2023.
Ismail acknowledged that J-Kom has faced significant criticism, with some questioning its relevance.
“But when we speak about the whole-of-government approach, communication is the responsibility of every ministry and agency. It begins with their policies and initiatives,” he said.
He added that J-Kom’s role was not to speak on behalf of ministries on technical matters outside its purview.
And in reaching out to the masses, Ismail said bureaucratic jargon often failed to resonate outside Putrajaya.
Citing the example of the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), Ismail said many recipients might not even know the programme by its name.
“If you ask them what STR is, they may not know. If you ask about Madani, they may not know. But they understand the assistance they are getting,” he said.
Since he was appointed to J-Kom on Jan 16 last year, Ismail said he has been focusing on using the department as a “critical bridge” between the government and the rakyat, ensuring that policies, initiatives and national priorities are communicated clearly and accurately.
Ismail said that J-Kom is making efforts to strengthen its digital outreach capabilities in recognition of the evolving media landscape. The work includes enhancing content delivery across multiple platforms, improving response time to emerging issues, and equipping their officers with structured communication training to ensure consistency in messages.
J-Kom has also placed significant emphasis on combating misinformation and disinformation.
“Through closer coordination with ministries, agencies, local leaders and media practitioners, we have established more agile response mechanisms to protect public confidence and reinforce fact-based narratives.”
“Moving forward, my priority is to institutionalise data-driven communication strategies and deepen J-Kom’s grassroots presence. Our objective is to build sustained public trust by ensuring that national messaging reflects clarity, inclusivity and the broader interest of the country.”
