Free speech on Aceh curtailed

Free speech on Aceh curtailed

Ati Nurbaiti, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An alarming trend is unfolding before our eyes -- the closing
of ranks on the Aceh issue with overwhelming public support for
the "integrated operation", while it will be difficult for
varying views to emerge if the media cannot quickly overcome the
constraints facing the need for balanced coverage. The suggested
solid public support as indicated by media polls has the
potential danger of the government closing its ears to valuable
input, not to mention the views of the Acehnese themselves.

A media survey on the Aceh issue conducted by a forum of non-
government organizations, the Working Group on Aceh, supported by
the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia, recently
suggested among others that four leading national dailies largely
quoted only Indonesian authorities during the period of survey
from April 10 to May 10.

In the first two weeks, the Group reported, the media
still indicated optimism of a peaceful settlement in Aceh since
the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, signed by the government
and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), was signed on Dec. 9 in Geneva.

But in the later period, ahead of the government's
announcement of operations "to resume security", the leaning of
coverage was heavily bent towards favoring a military approach.

Further content analysis on the media is yet to be done, but
recently a number of people have suggested that coverage entering
the third week of the "security operation" has become better,
with more focus on the impact on the civilian population,
compared to the first weeks of the operation.

With little exposure to "peace journalism" the media is
practically on its own now to rush to learn what issues to cover
in this war, also apart from focusing on the population, while
people are often scared of being interviewed.

Without a convenient check list on issues to be covered, and
with the demand that journalists must come up each time with
something new, we have some strange stories like those focusing
on the American journalist William Nessen. It may be valid to
question whether he is with the intelligence service but people
have also become intrigued with the spotlight on his marriage to
an Acehnese who reportedly ran from her Indonesian husband to
join him.

Meanwhile there are still constraints to be overcome if one is
to maintain credibility and avoid repeating the mistakes of the
American mainstream media, which many say have become quite
partisan, particularly during the war in Iraq.

The May 27 attack on the office of Kontras, a non-government
organization that spoke out against the war in Aceh, was an early
reminder of the stance expected of "patriotic" citizens. Military
officials repeatedly reminded journalists to be "nationalistic"
in their coverage. Reporters in Aceh have long complained of the
pressure from GAM members to prove their "Aceh nationalism".

Since the military operations journalists have reported being
frequently summoned by military officers in Aceh to "clarify"
their reports to the point of being unable to work since the
clarification sessions can last for three hours, to be continued
the next day. While editors in Jakarta stress that reporters must
interview civilians, journalists worry not only of their own
safety but of their sources, given earlier reports that sources
have been later questioned either by the military or by GAM
people. "I'd better just sit near the battle field and count
casualties," said one television reporter.

What about other sources like activists and civil servants?
Activists in Aceh fear for their safety and since the government
announced the special screening (litsus) for civil servants, the
employees and their families will have to be careful about how
they talk, dress and act, for they might be associated with GAM.

On Saturday a producer from SCTV, Dhandy Dwi Laksono, said he
was told that he need not continue to work, following questions
of his reports on Aceh. However the management has said that
Dhandy's contract was not renewed after assessment.

In Aceh, reporters have difficulty in getting the GAM side and
military commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has even said that
one should not cover both sides in a war.

The press must be doing all they can to get balanced coverage,
while in the face of such constraints we also need to rapidly
assess what items are missing to enable an intelligent discourse
on the issue, with the interests of the Acehnese as the priority.

Without the media taking this role we will be heading further
back into the days of the past, when mass gatherings of pledging
loyalty (as we see now in Aceh), amid an often nervous press,
were considered enough proof of genuine expressions of public
sentiment.

So much for reformasi and its highly praised achievement of
the ability of Indonesians to express their views without fear.

The writer also chairs the Alliance of Independent Journalists
(AJI).