Yunus: Information ministry may become obsolete<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus,
\nacknowledging the government in the past spent too much money on
\nhis ministry which often only functioned to restrict information,
\nsaid yesterday he could envision the department being scrapped
\naltogether.<\/p>\n
In precedent-setting candor for an information minister, Yunus
\nsaid the day might come when a government bureau took over the
\ntasks of the ministry.<\/p>\n
Yet this would be dependent on the state-funded TVRI
\ntelevision station and RRI radio network becoming financially
\nindependent and the mass media being thoroughly maintained
\nthrough laws which allow for public scrutiny.<\/p>\n
\"By then, I think the ministry would need to be made smaller,\"
\nhe said. \"It could be in two, three or five years' time from now
\nbefore it can be materialized.\"<\/p>\n
Yunus, an active army lieutenant general who was formerly
\nknown as Yunus Yosfiah, was speaking during a hearing with the
\nHouse of Representatives' Commission I for information affairs
\nhere.<\/p>\n
\"By then, the government apparatus would have to minimize
\ntheir intervention into people's affairs... They should only let
\nlaws control people's affairs.\"<\/p>\n
His frank discussion of the possible dissolution of the
\nministry is unprecedented for a serving minister.<\/p>\n
Yunus even went so far as to say that closing the ministry
\ncould save hundreds of billions of rupiah from the state budget
\nallocated to fund the 51,000-personnel strong ministry.<\/p>\n
He argued savings from such efficiency measures could be put
\nto good use, such as in improving the welfare of civil servants.<\/p>\n
\"Rich countries\" like Japan and the United States do not have
\ninformation ministries, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There are only about 18 or 20 ministries in Japan... America
\ndoesn't have an information ministry either, only the USIS, the
\nUnited States Information Service.<\/p>\n
\"Meanwhile, we are a poor country. But because we organize our
\nbureaucratic structure inappropriately, we hamper our own pace of
\ndevelopment.\"<\/p>\n
He also touched on the ministry's role in curbing dispersal of
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
\"We feel that the state has spent too much money for the
\noperational and salary costs of civil servants (within the
\nministry of information), while on the other hand it has in
\nreality so far only restricted the flow of information to
\nsociety.\"<\/p>\n
Yunus revealed a case of delinquency in duties from the
\nministry, which he took over only a month ago.<\/p>\n
He said the ministry had a backlog of about 90 press
\npublication applications -- \"the number is astonishing\" -- dating
\nback six or seven years.<\/p>\n
Putting the proposals on hold was tantamount to hindering the
\nrights of people from obtaining more information which they
\nneeded to help nurture their own creativity, he said.<\/p>\n
He believed people with a broad base of knowledge could help
\naccelerate the pace of the national development.<\/p>\n
\"Isn't it ironic that we should pay people (civil servants) to
\nhinder the development?\"<\/p>\n
Yunus claimed he was able to approve and sign 20 new press
\npublication permits \"in just two weeks time\".<\/p>\n
He has impressed some in media circles by revoking a
\ncontroversial 1984 ministerial regulation which allowed the
\ngovernment to arbitrarily annual press publication permits.<\/p>\n
His much-lauded policy was followed by the issuance of a new
\nministerial decree which simplifies procedures to obtain
\npublication permits. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yunus-information-ministry-may-become-obsolete-1447893297",
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