Freedom of expression a tricky issue<\/p>\n
Demokrasi dalam Pasungan (Politik Perijinan di Indonesia)
\n Edited by Hairus Salim HS and Angger Jati Wijaya
\n Published by Forum LSM\/LPSM, Yogyakarta
\n January 1996
\n 155 pp, Rp 8,000.<\/p>\n
Freedom does not guarantee prosperity and justice, but without
\nfreedom, a nation will lose both. (Albert Camus)<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): You may be silent for a while pondering the
\nabove thought expressed by the French author. Freedom does not
\nfully guarantee welfare and justice, but without freedom we will
\nnot acquire welfare and justice.<\/p>\n
In the current sociopolitical situation we are faced with bans
\nas well as other repressive measures against such things as
\nseminars, discussions, art activities, party ceremonies,
\ncommunity organizations, or traveling. Even freedom, which is a
\nbasic human right, is often disputed.<\/p>\n
With this book, the non-governmental organization (NGO) LPSM,
\nwhich is part of the NGO Forum in Yogyakarta, thinks it necessary
\nto endeavor to struggle for changes based on human rights to
\ncreate freedom of expression. This book aims at providing ample
\npolitical space for the people.<\/p>\n
According to the book, the bans and repressive measures taken
\nby the government are not based on a concern about the
\ndisturbance of stability, as is often said, but rather on the
\ndesire to maintain the status quo of power. This is seen from the
\nvagueness and inconsistency of the reasons offered by the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Swedish political scientist Anders Uhlin is right in his
\nobservation that Indonesia is preparing to sail toward a
\ndemocratic life. \"Preparing\" means that it has just entered a
\npretransition phase, in which the present regime has started to
\nshow signs of instability and the struggle for democracy is
\nentering the embryonic phase. The book argues that the demands
\nfor democracy are on the increase.<\/p>\n
The book points our that in the pretransition phase, the right
\nto assemble or to organize is very vital in democratic political
\nlife, as a medium for the people to convey their aspirations and
\nto voice their political and economic rights.<\/p>\n
Thus, it is not possible for a country that claims to practice
\ndemocracy to do so without there being freedom to assemble.<\/p>\n
The limitation of the peoples' movements with regard to
\nopinion, expression and assembly has a bad impact on their
\npolitical education because in political education, there are at
\nleast two basic things. First, openness in information. Second,
\nfreedom to convey things related to political, social and
\neconomic life.<\/p>\n
Regretfully, the condition of these two things is far from
\nadequate. Information critical of the government is often covered
\nup, thus denying the people their right of information. Remember
\nthe ban on the DeTiK tabloid and Editor and Tempo magazines.<\/p>\n
It is true that the New Order has succeeded in creating a
\npolitical system with a high level of stability. On the other
\nhand, the orientation of the powerful government under the New
\nOrder has apparently not shifted from political stability and has
\neven strengthened itself.<\/p>\n
The book states that this has resulted in limited
\nopportunities of development for the peoples' participation in
\nmanaging the country and has weakened their independence. Worse,
\napathy and disarticulation in politics seem to be with the
\nmajority of the community, while it is only through active people
\nthat a democratic and durable political system finds its true
\nidentity.<\/p>\n
One of the pillars of the struggle for democracy is the
\nendeavor to fulfill basic rights, particularly the right to
\nexpress one's opinion.<\/p>\n
In a normative way, the right of expression is the essence of
\nhumanity because it is a reflection of the capacity for self-
\ndisclosure.<\/p>\n
The normative and political aspects described above can be
\nused for observation of the current subject of permits. As for
\nthe first one mentioned, the complete settlement of permits is
\nessential to the restoration of human dignity.<\/p>\n
Concerning the latter, the limitation of freedom of expression
\nis the result of the dominance of the orientation of a powerful
\nstate. In other words, as long as there is no change in the
\norientation, banning and repression will continue, according to
\nthe book.<\/p>\n
Apart from the above, in the frame of giving substance to
\nfreedom, the lack of understanding on the values of freedom is a
\nserious obstacle. The next question is, what strategy is needed
\nto prevent freedom from losing its substance in the hectic
\nactivities of development?<\/p>\n
The book notes that peoples' active participation in the
\ndevelopment process must be increased, supported by the
\nimplementation of democracy in the sense of freedom to assemble,
\nto express oneself purely and responsibly.<\/p>\n
The legislative, judiciary and executive institutions, as the
\nmain pillars of the democracy process, are to operate in
\naccordance with their respective functions, the book states.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the effective participation of the people in the
\neconomic, political, social and legal fields must be exact (clear
\nand right) and concrete, and not only in the form of slogans,
\nrhetorics for mere political consumption.<\/p>\n
The book further points out that free political space is an
\nabsolute prerequisite for the development of basic human rights.<\/p>\n
For political observers and everyone who wants an open
\npolitical space, I recommended this book. Reading this book means
\nparticipation in the efforts to struggle for political space, to
\ngive substance to freedom.<\/p>\n
-- I.L. Parsudi<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/freedom-of-expression-a-tricky-issue-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }