Free access to info 'key to clean govt'

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has been accused of stalling the deliberation of a bill on free access to information, casting doubt over its commitment to clean and good governance.

Sabam Leo Batubara, a member of the National Press Council, said many sides were disappointed with the government when Minister for Information and Communications Sofyan Djalil asked the House of Representatives to delay the debate on the bill, which he said was less urgent.

"The strange thing is that while suspending the bill, the House has given priority to controversial bills on state intelligence, national defense and the amended criminal code, which will lead to the return of an authoritarian regime," Leo told a seminar.

The free access to information bill was proposed in 2001 along with the press bill by the National Commission on Human Rights and a coalition of non-governmental organizations in a bid to build a civil society and a clean and good governance. The House has proposed it as an initiative bill.

To start a bill's deliberation, the President needs to appoint minister(s) who will represent the government.

The bill on free access to information requires state institutions and officials to provide the public with all the necessary information that affects them.

Leo questioned President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's commitment to clean and good governance and corruption eradication since he had not been transparent enough in running his administration.

"Indonesia will remain fertile ground for corruption and the government's performance will remain poor if state institutions and officials continue to keep their budgetary spending from the public," he said.

Efforts to curb corruption in the bureaucracy and state companies will work if the government opens up access to information concerning budgetary spending, policymaking and law enforcement to the press, according to Leo.

"If the bill takes effect, the finance ministry is required to publish the total taxes it has collected, state companies such as Pertamina and PT PLN must offer all their procurement and development projects through public tenders and law enforcers have to be transparent in handling corruption cases, gambling, drug abuse, illegal logging and other high-profile crimes," he said.

Hasto Atmodjo, commissioner of civil and political rights at the National Commission on Human Rights, called for public pressure to make the government go to the House to debate the bill.

"The government is obliged to enforce the bill as soon as possible because access to information is a fundamental human right and part of democracy. Those who resist the bill are afraid of being brought to justice," he said.

Made Subamia, a senior official at the Directorate General for Human Rights Protection at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, said many state institutions and public officials had avoided the press due to frequent inaccuracy and one-sided coverage.

"Many public officials and figures have sued mass media in court, instead of using the press law in case of reports deemed libelous, mostly because journalists ignore the presumption of innocence principle," he said.

Leo said only 6 percent of around 700 print media in the country were deemed professional. More publications will close through 'natural selection', since they cannot meet the market's demands for accurate, up-to-date and educative information, Leo added.