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

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)