Anticorruption campaign and press freedom

Anticorruption campaign and press freedom

Abdullah Alamudi , Jakarta

December will witness Indonesia's drive to eradicate its most
serious and deepest social disease: Corruption. On Friday, the
President is scheduled to attend an informal meeting on the plan
to launch an anticorruption campaign. Next Thursday, he will sign
a presidential decree on the Anticorruption Action Plan. The
anticorruption campaign, from Dec. 3 to Dec. 14, is part of
Indonesia's participation in the UN day against corruption, which
falls on Dec. 9.

President Susilo has made corruption eradication his first
priority. So much so that he himself will lead the campaign.

However, anticorruption campaigns and promises have become too
familiar to us -- from the days of the nation's first president,
Sukarno, to Soeharto to Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid. In fact,
during her first days in office, Megawati Soekarnoputri told the
nation that she would not allow any member of her family to
misuse the power that came with her presidency. Political
observers, however, say that corruption was also rampant during
her rule.

If Susilo is really serious about corruption eradication, he
should promote checks and balances among the three pillars of
democracy -- executive, legislative and judicial -- and fully
support the fourth, the press, as the watchdog of an open and
accountable government. But the press must be free. Only a free
press can provide independent reports.

During the presidential election campaign, both Susilo and his
running mate, Jusuf Kalla, promised that the new government would
not reestablish the notorious Ministry of Information (Deppen).
Now there is the Office of the State Minister of Communications
and Information, an office first created by Megawati in 2001, to
replace Deppen, which had been dissolved by Abdurrahman Wahid in
1999.

Staff members of the current office also worked under the
office during Megawati's tenure. According to many members of the
Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), the Indonesian Press
and Broadcasting Society (MPPI) and the Coalition for the
Public's Right to Freedom of Information, their way of thinking
is still under the old paradigm -- all information is closed,
with some exceptions. On the other hand, the MPPI and the
Coalition insist that, in a democracy, all information is open
with a few exceptions.

So much so that, last week, the KPI sent to Susilo a draft of
147 articles on rules and regulations that govern the operations
and conduct of broadcasting institutions.

The move was taken to counter a package of seven different
drafts prepared by the Office, which the KPI, the MPPI and the
Coalition considered controversial, and contrary to the public's
right to information.

It remains to be seen whether Susilo and State Minister of
Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil, who seems to be
more open-minded than his predecessor, can steer the Office
toward being more inclusive of the new paradigm. We also want to
see whether, as a retired Army general, Susilo is sincerely
appreciative of press freedom.

Under the prevailing Broadcasting Law, the KPI is an
independent regulatory body, similar to the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission or the British Broadcasting Authority,
or those in Australia and Germany.

The law stipulates that only the government can issue
government regulations, but the same law also rules that the KPI
has the right to make rules and regulations regarding
broadcasting, and the government must abide by the law. Since the
President, the vice president and Cabinet ministers, swore, in
their oaths, to abide by the law and uphold the 1945
Constitution, the public is now waiting to see whether or not
they will uphold Article 28 of the Constitution, which guarantees
press freedom.

Susilo cannot rely only on government officials or
intelligence agencies' reports, which are also tarnished by
corruption. Susilo needs all the independent reports he can
gather in order to make good decisions, since a good decision is
based on well-informed input.

Press freedom can provide the government with the information
it needs to combat corruption, make Susilo's Anticorruption
Action Plan work, and allow for an open society.

The writer is a senior journalist, a lecturer at Dr. Soetomo
Press Institute and a member of the Indonesian Press and
Broadcasting Society (MPPI). He can be reached at
abdullahalamudi@yahoo.com .