Democracy should not lead to loss of self-control: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto says press freedom and democracy should not make Indonesians lose their self-control.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a national congress of the Indonesian Newspaper Publishers Association (SPS) at the State Palace over the weekend, the President said, "when I stress the need for social responsibility and national discipline in the domain of the national press it does not mean that the freedom of the press has become less important."

President Soeharto elaborated, saying, "...in the effort to open ourselves, we want our national press to enjoy freedom but at the same time shoulder responsibility," Soeharto said.

The six-day congress will feature 128 participants representing 283 newspaper publishing companies from around the country. Indonesian newspapers boast a daily circulation of 13 million copies.

He added that the nation needs a responsible freedom of the press because it believes in democracy.

"It is also clear that the freedom is not for freedom's sake alone. It should be aimed at improving the quality of life for Indonesians, both individually and collectively," Soeharto said.

Criticized

Soeharto criticized daily newspapers for printing news stories and articles which were not in line with either the law or journalistic ethics. He also criticized them for failing to expose the existing value systems which are prevalent in the society.

"Therefore, the press should continue to comply with all the principles we have agreed upon," said the President.

The government recently revoked the publishing licenses of Tempo, Editor and DeTIK news magazines for "repeatedly ignoring its warnings about the way they reported news events and managed their operations."

Soeharto also reminded the participants of the congress that the press will play a more important role as the country enters the era of economic take-off because it is a source of information for the people and the government apparatus at all levels.

Soeharto said the national press plays a role in mobilizing public opinion to become an effective force in support of development programs.

On the other hand, he said, the advance of electronic media has changed the reading habits of the public into "watching habits."

According to the President, this trend should push the press towards improving both its quality and presentation. "In this way, both of the mass media will balance out each other's shortcomings," he said.

Before the President officially opened the congress, Minister of Information Harmoko said that, in general, the national press had made impressive progress but that this was not true of every media organization.

"Many of them, especially those operating in the provinces, have not been able to develop themselves properly," he said. (rms/tis)