Broadcast bill passed despite protests
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After a previous no-show by many legislators, the House of Representatives (DPR) finally endorsed the contentious broadcasting bill on Thursday despite protests from broadcasters and journalists' unions.
The passage of the bill drew protests from hundreds of media people who staged an animated demonstration outside the House building while the plenary session was underway.
They rejected the passage of the bill, which they claimed could revive media repression.
During the plenary session, only the tiny Indonesian Nationhood Unity Faction (FKKI) out of the nine factions in the House heeded the protest and called for a further delay in the bill's endorsement to allow for a review of some contentious articles.
"We need to delay the bill's passage to make a more thorough assessment of these controversial articles," said faction spokesman Hamid Mappa.
Two legislators, Engelina Pattiasina of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), and Alvin Lie of the Reform faction, also objected to the bill's endorsement.
Engelina, who was a member of the special committee that deliberated the bill, rejected its passage due to widespread opposition in society.
The bill, when passed into law by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, will replace Law No. 24/1997 on broadcasting, which has been in abeyance since the dissolution of the Ministry of Information in 1999.
The bill mandates the establishment of a new institution, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), which will regulate the broadcasting industry.
The broadcasting commission, according to the bill, must be independent and represent the interests of the public. However, critics doubt if the commission will really defend the public's right to information.
Besides, the bill also mandates the government to issue 12 government regulations to strengthen the implementation of the law when it finally gets on the statute books.
In his acceptance speech, State Minister for Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif said that the government would not make go-it-alone decisions regarding the regulation of broadcasting.
He said that all the executory government regulations would be drafted in collaboration with the broadcasting commission.
"There is no intention on the government's part to control the media," Syamsul said.
Meanwhile, the protesters from the Indonesian Television Broadcasting Association (ATVSI) claimed that several articles in the bill would restore the government's control over the media due to the licensing powers given to the government.
From the business perspective, they said, the bill would deter investment in the broadcasting sector as the bill limited TV and radio coverage to one channel per broadcasting area. If a broadcaster wanted to broadcast nationwide, it would have to collaborate with locally based stations.
Commenting on the bill's passage, Ishadi of Trans TV said that he and his fellow members of ATVSI were considering further action in the form of either filing a request for a judicial review with the Supreme Court or seeking revision through the broadcasting commission.
"We're still thinking about it," Ishadi said simply.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Indonesia to review the bill, saying it contains numerous undemocratic provisions that threaten a burgeoning free press, AFP reported.
"If passed in its present form, we fear that the bill could do lasting damage to the media industry," the CPJ said in a letter to President Megawati Soekarnoputri dated Wednesday.
Similarly, the Independent Journalists' Alliance (AJI) urged the President not to sign the bill until some contentious, catch- all articles were revised or scrapped altogether.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Media Law and Policy Centre and the Institute for the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) hailed the passage of the bill, appealing to all groups to accept the new legislation.