Ethics must guide freedom of the press, minister says

JAKARTA (JP): While freedom of the press is necessary in a democracy, in Indonesia the press must still be guided by ethics and subject to some form of social control, Minister of Law and Legislation Yusril Izha Mahendra said on Wednesday.

Indonesia's new press law, enacted in September, has given the industry virtually unlimited freedom, Yusril said. This should be followed by tightening social control mechanisms, he added.

He did not elaborate on the mechanisms envisaged, but said the press in Indonesia should observe ethical norms as it enjoyed its newfound freedom.

Yusril, a constitutional law expert, was speaking at a seminar on the role and responsibilities of the media. The event was jointly organized by the American Studies Association, the University of Indonesia and the United States Embassy.

Yusril said the press played such a crucial role in bringing about changes in society that it was difficult to envisage democracy developing without the presence of a free press.

"However the press should consider how far it uses its freedom. It must develop a code of ethics to guide its conduct," he said.

The new press law abolished the draconian licensing system which had been used by previous governments to control the press. While there was no official censorship, the government revoked, or threatened to revoke, licenses of publications critical of it.

Under the new law, a press publication needs only to register with the authorities. It also guarantees the independence of the press.

One of the first policies introduced by President Abdurrahman Wahid after his Oct. 20 election was to abolish the information ministry through which past presidents had controlled the media.

Yusril questioned whether the media in Indonesia were ready to handle the consequences of their new found freedom, especially in the absence of any effective mechanisms to check their behavior.

"The law has distinctive punishments. Ethical codes do not provide punishments for violators," he said.

Without ethics, the press could turn news into propaganda, he said.

Sasa Djuarsa Sendjaja, a mass communications expert at the University of Indonesia, said society was still learning about the consequences of giving unlimited freedom to the press.

To ensure fairness in their reporting, the press must strive to strengthen the skills of their reporters and also encourage the establishment of media watchdogs, he said.

"The public should be informed of their right to control the behavior of the press. They should be able to sue media which run untrue and damaging reports," Sasa said. (04)