Government-press relationship on track but needs more attention

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The media's four-year-old relationship with its former master, the government, has been progressing on the right track, but problems remain in the quality of Indonesia's nascent press freedom, experts say.

As President Megawati Soekarnoputri is to address the nation for National Press Day on Sunday, media experts are drawing attention to problems in an otherwise "healthy relationship" between the media and the government.

"We have articles in our Criminal Code that could send a journalist to years in prison," said the chairman of the Indonesian Press Council, Atmakusumah Astraatmadja on Friday.

"The Criminal Code is a legacy from the colonial times so we ask for the judiciary's understanding and flexibility when enforcing the law," he said.

Some of the articles have made the media wary about publishing or airing sensitive news items about the president and vice president.

Article 137 of the Criminal Code may result in a journalist being sent to prison for one year and four months as well as losing his or her job if found guilty of insulting the president or vice president.

President Megawati has already expressed her dismay over antigovernment demonstrations expressing what she said were insulting messages.

She also took issue with the media for being overly critical toward her government, complaining that media coverage was not balanced.

But Atmakusumah played down concern that Megawati's comment marked the beginning of a return to state control over the media.

The Indonesian media experienced a surge of freedom with the downfall of former president Soeharto's authoritarian regime in 1998.

During his three-decade presidency, it became subject to tight censorship where the telephone was the means to tell what or what not to print in tomorrow's papers.

The government should now realize that the media will report public opinion be it critical or supportive, Atmakusumah said.

Veven S.P. Wardhana of Media Watch at the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) said the media had been balanced in criticizing the government.

News reports about the massive protests against simultaneous increases in fuel prices, electricity and telephone charges earlier this year were an example of that balance, Veven said.

The media joined the criticism but at the same time helped the government explain the reasons behind the policy. "It wasn't just for the sake of bashing the government, but merely bad timing (of the policy). The media tried to make the public understand the downside of (fuel) subsidies," he said.

However, Veven said President Megawati should better explain her government's policies and suggested informal meetings with the media.

Chief editor of the country's largest daily, Kompas, Suryopratomo coined a similar idea, suggesting a forum between the media and the government.

"The media needs criticism, but it must be done in a formal forum," he said, explaining that through the forum government criticism would not be seen as a pretense for interference.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) raised a more cautious note amid government' criticism of excessive press freedom.

"Far from being excessive, the press is just beginning to try to live up to public expectations," said AJI chairwoman Ati Nurbaiti.

Yet government and legislators' criticism of excessive press freedom failed to distinguish between "yellow journalism" and the mainstream.

"From Indonesia's history we know that governments have a good relationship with the press in their 'honeymoon periods', and signs of censorship typically develop later on. So press freedom must never be taken for granted," she said.