Broadcasting bill to be deliberated secretly

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives and the government agreed yesterday to delay deliberations on two of the five broadcasting bill articles to be amended in a closed meeting next week.

The closed session, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will focus on an article which would allow state-owned TV station TVRI to air selected advertisements.

The other article deals with the term of private television station licenses.

Golkar legislator Krissantono said the closed meeting would enable the House and the government to discuss the two articles without having to comply with the formal procedures usually applied in open deliberation.

"We don't want to waste too much time because we are pressed for time to come up with broadcasting regulations which will be able to anticipate the fast growing broadcasting world," Krissantono said.

He said there had been new developments in broadcasting including the Internet and cable TV.

"We don't know how to handle them because we don't have any legal basis for it," he said.

The House, which passed the bill last December, has less than three weeks to endorse the amended broadcasting bill in a session scheduled for Sept. 18.

The government, represented by Minister of Information R. Hartono in an unprecedented second deliberation, suggested last week that changes be made to articles on the span of coverage of private TV stations and on provincial administrations' broadcasting companies.

He also suggested the abolition of an article which would allow private companies to set up TV stations in provincial capitals.

But members of the House's special committee were split yesterday on the government's proposal.

Indonesian Democratic Party faction spokesman Popo Sonadar Haroen said the deliberation should also revise the article on TV subscription fees.

"The article must comply with new tax regulations which say that any form of levy must be made into law and the monies must go to the government coffers," Popo said.

The United Development Party faction's Ircham Abdurrochim said the party agreed with the government's proposal to extend the term of licenses for private TV stations.

But instead of echoing the government's new term of 10 years, the Moslem-based party suggested an eight-year term.

Armed Forces faction representatives wanted clarification about the social service advertisements shown on TVRI because they were paid for mostly by private companies.

The government insisted on banning TVRI from showing selected advertisements, including privately sponsored social service ones, because they would threaten private stations' income.

Although the committee had previously agreed to hold evening deliberation sessions, nobody was willing to stay late yesterday.

The committee was originally scheduled to resume its discussion yesterday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. (10/amd)