Free and fair press

Freedom of expression, that inalienable right guaranteed by our Constitution, has flourished in Indonesia these past few months after being virtually missing for more than two decades.

It has returned together with the current reform movement. The demand for sweeping changes could not have been as well articulated were it not for the insistence of students and reform campaigners to exercise their constitutional right. They broke the psychological barriers which had, for far too long, prevented our people from expressing their thoughts and ideas in the open.

Some members of the media quickly hopped on the reform bandwagon when it began early this year; others joined a little later. But there was no doubt that the reform movement has helped restore freedom of the press. The press, which had been held under strict government controls, suddenly found the courage and strength to break away from their prison mentality and defeat their old fears of authority.

Now with the old regime out of the way, it is only natural to expect the new government to roll back those rules that have restricted freedom of expression, including freedom of the press. But few people expected Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus to move so swiftly in reforming the information sector.

On Friday, Yunus removed a 1984 ruling which gave his predecessors the right to revoke the licenses of press publications. This ruling was an outrageous, yet effective, tool of the previous government in controlling the press.

Several newspapers and magazines lost their licenses for printing reports that were critical of the government. With the fear of losing their license, the press practiced self-censorship not only to avoid offending the government, but at times even to please the powers that be. This often meant suppressing information, or helping disseminate government lies. The few press publications that dared to criticize the government were labeled as opposition elements, which until recently were considered dirty words that could have landed them in deep trouble.

It was particularly encouraging to hear Yunus' statement which he so often repeated since his appointment to the cabinet last month that freedom of the press is crucial to democracy, and that he was counting on the press to help eliminate the corruption, collusion, cronyism and nepotism that had characterized the previous government. This is an official recognition that the absence of a free and critical press in the past had allowed the nation to degenerate as low as it did.

The removal of the minister's power to revoke the permits may have appeared to some as a formality since the press has been operating in a relatively free environment these past few months. Nevertheless, it is a milestone in the development of a healthy and independent press in Indonesia. It marks the beginning of a new course for the press to play its role in a much more constructive and professional way in the never-ending process of building this nation.

Freedom entails responsibility, and with too much liberty, there are bound to be excesses and abuses. But the legal system is there to protect public interests against possible abuses. The press council exists as the industry's watchdog to promote a free and fair press. Peer pressure can also ensure that the press uses its newly found freedom wisely. Failure to do so would not only undermine its credibility, but could be counterproductive and lead to the return of the old restrictive rules. If that happened, the press would have no one to blame but themselves.

With its new freedom, the press must join forces with others in society to continue the fight for reform, including the fight for greater freedom of expression and the development of a healthy democracy in this country. Since the press owes its freedom to society, it would only be right that it return this favor now.