Broadcast bill passed despite protests<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After a previous no-show by many legislators, the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) finally endorsed the contentious
\nbroadcasting bill on Thursday despite protests from broadcasters
\nand journalists' unions.<\/p>\n
The passage of the bill drew protests from hundreds of media
\npeople who staged an animated demonstration outside the House
\nbuilding while the plenary session was underway.<\/p>\n
They rejected the passage of the bill, which they claimed
\ncould revive media repression.<\/p>\n
During the plenary session, only the tiny Indonesian
\nNationhood Unity Faction (FKKI) out of the nine factions in the
\nHouse heeded the protest and called for a further delay in the
\nbill's endorsement to allow for a review of some contentious
\narticles.<\/p>\n
\"We need to delay the bill's passage to make a more thorough
\nassessment of these controversial articles,\" said faction
\nspokesman Hamid Mappa.<\/p>\n
Two legislators, Engelina Pattiasina of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), and Alvin Lie of
\nthe Reform faction, also objected to the bill's endorsement.<\/p>\n
Engelina, who was a member of the special committee that
\ndeliberated the bill, rejected its passage due to widespread
\nopposition in society.<\/p>\n
The bill, when passed into law by President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, will replace Law No. 24\/1997 on broadcasting,
\nwhich has been in abeyance since the dissolution of the Ministry
\nof Information in 1999.<\/p>\n
The bill mandates the establishment of a new institution, the
\nIndonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), which will regulate the
\nbroadcasting industry.<\/p>\n
The broadcasting commission, according to the bill, must be
\nindependent and represent the interests of the public. However,
\ncritics doubt if the commission will really defend the public's
\nright to information.<\/p>\n
Besides, the bill also mandates the government to issue 12
\ngovernment regulations to strengthen the implementation of the
\nlaw when it finally gets on the statute books.<\/p>\n
In his acceptance speech, State Minister for Communications
\nand Information Syamsul Mu'arif said that the government would
\nnot make go-it-alone decisions regarding the regulation of
\nbroadcasting.<\/p>\n
He said that all the executory government regulations would be
\ndrafted in collaboration with the broadcasting commission.<\/p>\n
\"There is no intention on the government's part to control the
\nmedia,\" Syamsul said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the protesters from the Indonesian Television
\nBroadcasting Association (ATVSI) claimed that several articles in
\nthe bill would restore the government's control over the media
\ndue to the licensing powers given to the government.<\/p>\n
From the business perspective, they said, the bill would deter
\ninvestment in the broadcasting sector as the bill limited TV and
\nradio coverage to one channel per broadcasting area. If a
\nbroadcaster wanted to broadcast nationwide, it would have to
\ncollaborate with locally based stations.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the bill's passage, Ishadi of Trans TV said that
\nhe and his fellow members of ATVSI were considering further
\naction in the form of either filing a request for a judicial
\nreview with the Supreme Court or seeking revision through the
\nbroadcasting commission.<\/p>\n
\"We're still thinking about it,\" Ishadi said simply.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists
\n(CPJ) has urged Indonesia to review the bill, saying it contains
\nnumerous undemocratic provisions that threaten a burgeoning free
\npress, AFP reported.<\/p>\n
\"If passed in its present form, we fear that the bill could do
\nlasting damage to the media industry,\" the CPJ said in a letter
\nto President Megawati Soekarnoputri dated Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the Independent Journalists' Alliance (AJI) urged
\nthe President not to sign the bill until some contentious, catch-
\nall articles were revised or scrapped altogether.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Media Law and Policy Centre and the
\nInstitute for the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) hailed the
\npassage of the bill, appealing to all groups to accept the new
\nlegislation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/broadcast-bill-passed-despite-protests-1447893297",
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