Broadcast bill passed despite protests

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.