Government drafting five bills on media

Government drafting five bills on media

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is drafting five bills aimed at ensuring easier
access to information for the public, State Minister for
Communication and Information Syamsul Mu'arif said on Tuesday.

The bills geared to protecting consumers' rights, especially
online media, will be submitted to the House of Representatives
in early 2002 for deliberation.

The bills are on broadcasting, transparency and freedom of
information, information technology, digital signatures and
electronic transactions, Syamsul said,

The broadcasting bill is in fact a revision of the one already
debated earlier this year that was delayed due to strong
opposition from members of the media. The bill sets strict rules
on media ownership to avoid a monopoly of the media by a handful
of capitalists -- a fear that media circles say is
unsubstantiated.

The bill on transparency and freedom of information sets
penalties for anyone who denies the public their right to
information.

"A government official would be subject to certain penalties
if he refused, for example, to disclose to the public the state
budget," Syamsul said.

The other three bills on information technology, digital
signatures and electronic transactions, concern online or
Internet media, which will be the first of its kind.

The information technology bill is being drafted in
cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation, while the
digital signature and electronic transaction bills are being
drafted in cooperation with Ministry of Trade and Industry,
Syamsul said.

The revision of Law No. 40/1999 on the media is intended to
provide legal protection for journalists.