Decree on publication licensing to stay

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Harmoko said yesterday the ministerial decree on publication licensing, which allows the government to effectively ban publications without judicial procedures, was here to stay.

Speaking to the press after meeting with President Soeharto, Harmoko said Monday's ratification by the House of Representatives of a bill on broadcasting means the Press Law, established 14 years ago, must be revised accordingly because of overlapping sections in the two documents.

The Broadcasting Law contains a code of ethics for broadcast journalism, which is already covered in the Press Law. In addition, the Broadcasting Law has provisions for technological advancement which may affect the print media, which is regulated by the Press Law.

However, a lower-level ministerial decree on publication permits would stay, Harmoko said. "That will remain, because it's still needed to protect press publication, press workers and the public," Harmoko said.

The Press Law says national publications are not subject to press banning. However, under the ministerial decree, the government may revoke a publication's permit, a measure which observers say is tantamount to press banning.

Based on the decree, in 1994 Minister Harmoko closed down three leading newsweeklies known for their critical reporting of government policies, namely Tempo, Editor and DeTik.

Tempo was faulted for its editorial content, while the banning of Editor and DeTik was attributed to "administrative violations."

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court overturned the decisions of the Jakarta State Administrative Court and the Jakarta State Administrative High Court allowing Tempo to resume publication. The Supreme Court said the Information Minister's decision to revoke the magazine's publishing license was "lawful" and was not against the Press Law.

The Press Law was set up in 1966, revised the next year, and again in 1982. The ministerial decree was established in 1984.

A number of legislators have said that the newly ratified Broadcasting Law is "progressive" because they believed it stipulates that only the court has the authority to revoke private broadcasting stations' permits.

The document actually makes no reference about judicial procedures said to be needed to revoke a broadcasting permit.

Yesterday, Harmoko said President Soeharto still had to sign and enact the Broadcasting Law. In addition, a number of directives need to be prepared before the law could be implemented effectively.

Harmoko said the government would ask the Press Honorary Council, and related bodies such as the Indonesian Journalists Association and the Newspaper Publishers Association, to discuss the planned revision on the Press Law. (swe)