Information ministry meets resistance<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The establishment of the State Ministry for
\nCommunication and Information was met with antagonism from
\nactivists despite assurances from the new minister that the
\ninstitution will not exercise censorship.<\/p>\n
Syamsul Mu'arif, the new state minister, said on Thursday that
\nthe new institution would not be modeled on the New Order
\nregime's information ministry, which controlled the media.<\/p>\n
"I have no intention to hamper the free flow of information in
\nthis era of reformation," he told journalists.<\/p>\n
The authority of the new institution has yet to be stipulated
\nin a presidential decree. But Syamsul, a Golkar politician,
\npledged he would "befriend" members of the media.<\/p>\n
The new communication and information ministry holds no
\nportfolio and its authority is largely confined to giving policy
\nadvice to the President and other institutions.<\/p>\n
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) voiced strong
\nobjections, saying that the state ministry was "unnecessary".<\/p>\n
Information on government activities can be handled by the
\npublic relations department which exists in every major
\ngovernment office, AJI secretary-general Didik Supriyanto said.<\/p>\n
"Or, if dissemination of information is what the government
\nwants, it can activate the National Information Agency (LIN) set
\nup by the then president Abdurrahman Wahid," he said.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman's move to kill the despised information ministry,
\nwhose authority included revoking media licenses, won huge praise
\nfrom all quarters.<\/p>\n
"Reviving an institution which bears resemblance to the
\ninformation ministry is antidemocratic, antireform and
\nunproductive," Didik said.<\/p>\n
Objection to the newly established state ministry also came
\nfrom the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), the only
\njournalist organization recognized by the New Order regime.<\/p>\n
PWI chairman Tarman Azzam told Antara that he could accept the
\nidea of having an institution overseeing information but the
\ngovernment should not meddle in the freedom of the media.<\/p>\n
"The law on the press frowns on government intervention," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday a coalition of non-governmental organizations
\ndemanded that the new administration honor its promise to retain
\nthe freedom of expression that Indonesian rediscovered after the
\nfall of the New Order government. (07\/bby\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/information-ministry-meets-resistance-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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