Free and fair press

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.