What free press is all about<\/p>\n
The National Press Day yesterday also marked the 50th
\nanniversary of the Indonesian Journalists Association. Wimar
\nWitoelar looks at the bumpy road journalists have to travel in
\ntheir venture toward freedom of the press.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Much of the talk about freedom of the press is
\nlike \"mirror, mirror on the wall, am I the freest of them all?\"<\/p>\n
The answer, is that like everything else, the press is part of
\neverything else. You cannot have a free press in a culture which
\nis not free.<\/p>\n
Conversely, democratic tradition will certainly produce a free
\npress. What good are new tires if your car's engine block is
\nbusted? What good is a free press if your country is oppressed?<\/p>\n
To lead the fight for freedom? That is a romantic notion,
\nwhich hardly ever holds in real life. The process of
\ndemocratization is complex and requires simultaneous reform in
\nmany sectors. Relying on the press to reform society is asking
\ntoo much from a single institution.<\/p>\n
In the many cases when censorship and bans have hit the press,
\nthe political environment shaped the decisions in a reactive way.
\nMochtar Lubis had his Indonesia Raya daily banned in 1974 in the
\naftermath of the Malari riots. Goenawan Mohamad had his Tempo
\nmagazine banned in 1994 over the German battleship deal.<\/p>\n
Action against press freedom is not based on any comprehensive
\npolicy. The principles of press development and guidance
\nroutinely recited just make things fuzzier.<\/p>\n
Examining press control policy is best done by analyzing
\npersonal or group motives of the people in power, rather than
\nany other seemingly substantial matters<\/p>\n
Officials, whose main concerns are personal survival and
\ncareer enhancement, are often under pressure to deliver political
\nresults to their superiors.<\/p>\n
If someone is under pressure, they will either lash out or lie
\nlow. That is why political analysis in Indonesia is so similar to
\nwatching a soap opera and why palace politics has not yielded to
\npeople politics.<\/p>\n
My advice to myself, as I am hardly in a position to advise
\nanyone else, is not to take myself too seriously. We rarely have
\nthe power to change things, just like sailors cannot create the
\nwind. But they can use the wind, and if they are skilled, they
\ncan travel independently of the wind's direction.<\/p>\n
Jumping several steps in logical sequence, this means that
\nunlike the people in authority, the press should have a much
\nsimpler job. Because it is easier to stay true to the principles
\nof a free press than to try to develop a uniquely \"Indonesian\"
\npress ethic when it is a euphemism for self-censorship.<\/p>\n
I learned something from a conversation with an English friend
\nrecently. I asked him: \"Jakarta must be pretty disappointing to
\nyou after witnessing the modernity of Singapore?\"<\/p>\n
To my surprise his answer was negative. He finds Singapore
\nboring. It was \"totalitarian\", he said. \"Hmm, isn't Indonesia the
\nsame?\" His candid answer: \"Yes, but at least everybody is
\ncomplaining.\"<\/p>\n
When you think of it, you do hear everybody complaining. There
\nare the scholars, the philosophers, and the moral leaders.
\nIndonesia is fortunate to have them to inspire us.<\/p>\n
Then there are those who speak bravely against the regime, and
\ncomplain about oppression. They are the darlings of the world
\npress and well-meaning global democrats. Then of course there are
\nthe bad guys who live off the nation's riches and distribute
\npower and money with equal agility. They complain about people
\n(and the press) getting in their way.<\/p>\n
Finally, there are ordinary people like you and me who do not
\nwant trouble but cannot accept injustice. We need to be secure
\nbut who also want to be free. These should be the constituencies
\nof tomorrow's Indonesian press.<\/p>\n
The workers, traders, housewives, shopkeepers, professionals.
\nThey are now creating the new Indonesia underneath the shell
\nwhich is slowly cracking. No overt political action is needed to
\nencourage the process.<\/p>\n
But these ordinary people need the press to assure them they
\nare recognized. Less suffocating official jargon and less
\nconflict-oriented negative reporting will do wonders to make
\npeople realize Indonesia is still a fine place to in which to
\nlive.<\/p>\n
Taking strong positions is important, not necessarily always
\nin opposition to the system, but always in tune with the concerns
\nof ordinary people.<\/p>\n
The most basic implication is to be aware that markets are
\nbetter beacons than politics.<\/p>\n
When newspapers are loyal to their readers, radio shows to
\ntheir listeners, and when TV shows respect their fans, ways will
\nalways be found to communicate information, ideals and even
\nvalues. And that is what a free press is all about.<\/p>\n
The writer is a talk-show host whose popular Perspektif
\nprogram on SCTV ended abruptly last September after being on the
\nair every week for almost two years. His new program Perspektif
\nBaru is regularly on M97 FM radio.<\/p>",
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