Chipping away at press freedom

Is the Indonesian government in favor of freedom of the press? Is it going to uphold it in future? I ask because state-owned television network TVRI recently seems to be doing its utmost to create a public perception that "freedom of the press is a bad thing".

They have treated us to talk shows where the speakers have had one thing in common -- their antipress freedom views. They have told us that press freedom is not culturally appropriate for this country, that it incites violence, that the people are not ready for it, etc., the standard arguments used by regimes the world over for cracking down on the press. Incredibly, some speakers have even tried to pin responsibility for recent violence on the press alone. Although they all have the right to express their views, the sheer uniformity of their condemnation of the press seems more than just coincidence.

This all comes at a time when TVRI itself seems to be losing the relative independence it has recently enjoyed (one example of many was the recent unbalanced talk show in which Mrs. Murdaya actually blamed the students for getting shot). Even more worryingly, SCTV, normally a champion of objective reporting, seems to be turning gradually into a government mouthpiece. This was particularly apparent following Black Friday, where Liputan 6 consistently reinforced the government's views of the treason charges, while practically ignoring the very real suffering of the victims of the Semanggi tragedy.

So, where does the government stand? Does it want freedom of speech to thrive in the Indonesian press, or are its real views being aired through TVRI? Indeed, is it already beginning to erode press freedom, and using TVRI to ready the public for further limitations in future?

ANDREW TRIGG

Jakarta