Democracy should not lead to loss of self-control: Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto says press freedom and
\ndemocracy should not make Indonesians lose their self-control.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a national congress of the
\nIndonesian Newspaper Publishers Association (SPS) at the State
\nPalace over the weekend, the President said, \"when I stress the
\nneed for social responsibility and national discipline in the
\ndomain of the national press it does not mean that the freedom of
\nthe press has become less important.\"<\/p>\n
President Soeharto elaborated, saying, \"...in the effort to
\nopen ourselves, we want our national press to enjoy freedom but
\nat the same time shoulder responsibility,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
The six-day congress will feature 128 participants
\nrepresenting 283 newspaper publishing companies from around the
\ncountry. Indonesian newspapers boast a daily circulation of 13
\nmillion copies.<\/p>\n
He added that the nation needs a responsible freedom of the
\npress because it believes in democracy.<\/p>\n
\"It is also clear that the freedom is not for freedom's sake
\nalone. It should be aimed at improving the quality of life for
\nIndonesians, both individually and collectively,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
Criticized<\/p>\n
Soeharto criticized daily newspapers for printing news stories
\nand articles which were not in line with either the law or
\njournalistic ethics. He also criticized them for failing to
\nexpose the existing value systems which are prevalent in the
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, the press should continue to comply with all the
\nprinciples we have agreed upon,\" said the President.<\/p>\n
The government recently revoked the publishing licenses of
\nTempo, Editor and DeTIK news magazines for \"repeatedly ignoring
\nits warnings about the way they reported news events and managed
\ntheir operations.\"<\/p>\n
Soeharto also reminded the participants of the congress that
\nthe press will play a more important role as the country enters
\nthe era of economic take-off because it is a source of
\ninformation for the people and the government apparatus at all
\nlevels.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said the national press plays a role in mobilizing
\npublic opinion to become an effective force in support of
\ndevelopment programs.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, he said, the advance of electronic media
\nhas changed the reading habits of the public into \"watching
\nhabits.\"<\/p>\n
According to the President, this trend should push the press
\ntowards improving both its quality and presentation. \"In this
\nway, both of the mass media will balance out each other's
\nshortcomings,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Before the President officially opened the congress, Minister
\nof Information Harmoko said that, in general, the national press
\nhad made impressive progress but that this was not true of every
\nmedia organization.<\/p>\n
\"Many of them, especially those operating in the provinces,
\nhave not been able to develop themselves properly,\" he said.
\n(rms\/tis)<\/p>",
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