RI told to be more active on Internet<\/p>\n
SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): The Indonesian government should
\nbe more active on the Internet by putting out messages on issues
\nthat affect its image abroad, a computer expert said yesterday.<\/p>\n
The opportunities offered by the Internet to influence
\ninternational public opinion on Indonesia, on the question of
\nEast Timor, for example, have not been fully exploited, said
\nJoseph Luhukay.<\/p>\n
"How come no one (from the government) has opened a home page
\non East Timor on the Internet to give the Indonesian perception
\nof the issue and counter the negative information that is being
\nfed by others?" asked Luhukay, who has helped connect a number of
\ngovernment agencies into international computer networks.<\/p>\n
The government could also put out messages explaining
\nIndonesia's Pancasila ideology to the world, he added.<\/p>\n
He was speaking during a seminar on the threats and benefits
\nof the Internet, organized by the Muhammadiyah University in
\nSurakarta to commemorate National Press Day last Friday.<\/p>\n
Luhukay, a doctor from the University of Illinois, said
\nseveral Indonesian institutions have already developed their own
\nnetwork services which are connected to the Internet, including
\nthe University of Indonesia (UI.net) and the Agency for the
\nAssessment and Application of Technology (BPPT.net)<\/p>\n
Yet these networks have not been fully used for Indonesia's
\npolitical objectives, he said. "Just remember that any piece of
\ninformation, no matter how small, put out on the Internet can be
\naccessed by millions of Internet users worldwide."<\/p>\n
The Internet can be an effective tool to safeguard the nation
\nfrom the impact of globalized information, a task that the local
\nmass media could not perform by itself, he said.<\/p>\n
Heidar Bagir, a mass communications expert, said Indonesian
\npress publications have been rather slow in tapping the potential
\nof the Internet to bolster news coverage.<\/p>\n
"They seem reluctant," Heidar told the seminar.<\/p>\n
He noted, however, that news sent through the Internet may
\narrive faster than through traditional newspapers, but that it
\noften lacks depth.<\/p>\n
Many press publications that have opened home pages on the
\nInternet are now under pressure to change the way they present
\nand package their news, he said.<\/p>\n
Ahmadi Thoha, a mass communications expert from Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity in Yogyakarta, pointed out that more and more
\nnewspapers worldwide are making their publications available on
\nthe Internet.<\/p>\n
In 1993, there were only 30 newspapers on the Internet. By the
\nend of 1996, the number available is expected to reach 500, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Among the daily Indonesian newspapers that have home pages on
\nthe Internet are Kompas and Republika.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Bandung, a group of Moslem scholars on Sunday
\nlaunched a home page that gives out information on the
\ndevelopment of Islam and Moslem organizations in Indonesia on the
\nInternet.<\/p>\n
MuslimNet (http:\/\/www.inkom.lipi.go.id\/muslim.htm1), according
\nto their sponsors, will also be used for the purpose of
\npropagating the religion.<\/p>\n
Sofyan Tsauri, the chairman of the Indonesian Institute of
\nScience (LIPI), launched the service on Sunday which was followed
\nby a seminar on the future strategy of religious propagation.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish Madjid, a Moslem scholar present at the launching,
\nsaid he believed the network could be an effective tool and not
\nnecessarily an "elitist" approach to religion.<\/p>\n
The use of a sophisticated media like the Internet could
\nstrengthen that elitism, but it could also eliminate it because
\nit cuts distance. "Proximity is essential to propagation," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Jalaluddin Rakhmat, a leader of the Muthahari Pesantren (a
\ntraditional Moslem boarding school), said everyone should support
\nMuslimNet, which should aim to provide accurate information to
\nMoslems.<\/p>\n
Dawam Rahardjo of the Association of Indonesian Moslem
\nIntellectuals said Internet facilities should be made available
\nto a wider audience in Indonesia, particularly the pesantren.<\/p>\n
He said that the MuslimNet must seek the participation of
\nreligious experts to provide home page information. (har\/17\/emb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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