Committee endorses broadcast bill

Committee endorses broadcast bill

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After long deliberation, legislators and the government concluded
on Thursday talks on the broadcast bill and agreed to bring it
before a plenary meeting on Nov. 25 for endorsement.

The bill will replace Law No.24/1997 on broadcasting, which
became ineffective with the dissolution of the information
ministry in 1999.

There have been pros and cons concerning the contents of the
long, overdue bill, with some groups hailing several progressive
ideas that have been adopted, while others regretted the powerful
role given to the government to regulate broadcasting activities.

The bill was first submitted by inter-faction legislators on
June 26, 2000, but its deliberation was halted following the
political bickering that led to the ouster of former president
Abdurrahman Wahid in July 2001. Lawmakers resumed its
deliberation last March.

Compared to Law No.24/1997, the new broadcasting bill is much
more comprehensive. The bill introduces a new institution, the
Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), which is expected to
function as an independent monitoring body.

The broadcasting commission is designed to represent public
participation and to accommodate the aspirations of the
broadcasting community.

This congenial idea is, however, spoiled by a decision from
lawmakers to give the government a role in determining
regulations on broadcasting.

Under the new bill, the government would be given the role to
take part in outlining at least 12 regulations through the
issuance of government regulations.

At least three legislators, Djoko Susilo of the National
Mandate Party (PAN), Bambang Sadono of Golkar and Effendi Choirie
of the National Awakening Party (PKB), have openly rejected the
clause.

But their voices were drowned out by the insistence of other
legislators and government officials.

The major role to be handed to the government has raised
concern among media observers as they said it could be prone to
abuse of power by the government.

State Minister of Communications and Information Syamsul
Mu'arif denied the speculation on Thursday, saying that the
government would only follow the decisions of the KPI.

"The government would support KPI's decisions. All government
regulations would be prepared by the KPI and the government would
act as a facilitator," Syamsul said on the sidelines of a
meeting, which was attended by 12 legislators.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the special House committee for the
broadcasting bill, Paulus Widiyanto, said on Thursday that the
substance of the bill had been criticized.

"This is the best we can do. Those who are not satisfied can
submit recommendations for the proposed KPI," Paulus added.

The bill stipulates that the KPI has to be established within
one year after the bill is enacted into law.

The bill also provides a period of two years and three years
for radio and television stations respectively to make
adjustments to rulings in the bill.

The executive director of the Indonesian Media Law and Policy
Center (IMLPC), Hinca Pandjaitan, said on Thursday that the pros
and cons over the endorsement of the broadcasting bill were
unavoidable, because the laws were established before the
stations.

"Whether we like it or not, the bill should be endorsed. All
the critics can submit recommendations for revisions in the
future," Hinca told The Jakarta Post.

Article 57: Penalties

Five years imprisonment or a Rp 1 billion fine for radio stations
and five years imprisonment or a Rp 10 billion fine for
television stations, or for anyone who violates:

1. mandatory share ownership by employees

2. regulations on cross ownership;

3. the rule that foreign broadcasts are restricted in Indonesia;

4. the stipulation that broadcasts must not contain slander,
provocation, violence, pornography, gambling or racism

5. the stipulation that broadcasts must not disgrace the nation's
dignity or disrupt international relations.