Freedom of expression endangered: Observers
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta
While the country's first direct presidential election was peaceful and mainly free from coercion and intimidation, freedom of expression is still not fully respected here, observers say.
Political observer Ichlasul Amal of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta said on Sunday that amid the hurly-burly of both the legislative and presidential elections, there were efforts from some quarters to stifle freedom of expression, especially press freedom, through the use of the Criminal Code in media-related cases instead of Press Law No. 40/1999.
"It goes without saying that freedom of the press is a crucial element in a democracy to enable citizens to express their views. However, those in the judiciary, the judges and prosecutors, decline to respect press freedom by exclusively using the Press Law in cases related to the media," Amal told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.
Amal, who is also the chairman of the Press Council, said that in a fledgling democracy like Indonesia the press played an indispensable role in preventing the country from plunging into iron-fisted rule, as occurred during the authoritarian New Order regime.
"The press can closely watch what the government does and put a limit if it goes too far," he said.
Following the end of president Soeharto's authoritarian rule, the press enjoyed a relatively open atmosphere.
However, that freedom was short lived as scores of defamation suits have been filed by government officials and businesspeople against editors and reporters from numerous publications using the Criminal Code instead of the Press Law.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri and members of the House of Representatives filed defamation lawsuits against editors from Rakyat Merdeka daily.
Journalists from Tempo magazine and Koran Tempo daily are currently facing defamation charges for their reporting.
Amal also warned of interference in the press by business interests.
"It is a known fact that the media can immediately lose its edge once it is taken over by large business entities. It will only run stories amenable to business interests," he said.
Political observer Syamsudin Haris of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences shared Amal's views, adding that the gravest threat to the press would come if the state and business interests conspired to limit its freedom.
Syamsudin called on the government to resist the temptation to suppress press freedom and instead take measures to guarantee this freedom.
"The next government should first repeal any regulations deemed restrictive to freedom of expression and vow to maintain press freedom," he told the Post.
Earlier, Press Council member Leo Batubara said there were currently seven regulations that hampered freedom of speech and constituted a standing menace to democracy.
Syamsudin said that rather than being seen as a threat to the government, the press could become a partner to the government in measuring what was actually taking place in society.
He also called on the press to stand up against media conglomeration, which he said would jeopardize public interests.
"The media must not succumb to market demands as what the market says mostly reflects what big business wants. If the media wants to uphold democracy, it first has to serve the public," he said.