Development and openness

Development and openness

In his speech during the opening ceremony of the Congress of the Association of Newspapers Publishers on July 9, 1994, President Soeharto emphasized that newspapers often presented reports and articles which are not in compliance with the law, nor in line with professional ethics, nor the norms acceptable to society. The national press still needs to deepen its perception and enhance its practice of the commonly agreed regulations.

In this era of globalization which demands openness of the national media, the press should become an institution reflecting the Pancasila values of identity. We already have the philosophical, ethical and judicial basis for carrying out the task. But the press still requires the support of the government and society to realize the ideal, particularly pertaining to quality of human resources.

Enhancement of openness should be taken to mean that the press should become a free and responsible institution, taking the government and society as partners. Freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta