Govt told to put in place freedom of information law

Govt told to put in place freedom of information law

JAKARTA (JP): A law allowing public access to information is
essential to create transparent and accountable government
institutions, a legislator and an observer said on Friday.

Speaking at a discussion on "Public Accountability of
Government Institutions", Deputy House Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar
and law expert Mas Achmad Santosa said such a law was necessary
to allow the public to observe the institutions.

"The House has had difficulties getting access to information
from the government. We need that law," said Muhaimin, who is a
legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB).

The lack of access to information has led to rampant
corruption and collusion in government institutions, he said.

Any efforts to make these institutions more accountable to the
public would be difficult as long as they remained closed,
Muhaimin said.

Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia to have enacted
such a law.

Santoso, who also chairs the Indonesian Center for
Environmental Law (ICEL), agreed and suggested that the law
provide punishment.

"A government institution could be penalized if it refuses to
unveil information demanded by the public," he said in the
discussion held by the Indonesian Transparency Society.

He said certain information could be categorized as secret,
such as that which concerns defense, trade agreements and medical
records.

He suggested that the law recommend an arbitrary body which
would decide on whether information was classified as secret or
not.

"It remains unclear which information is categorized as
secret. It's often the case that certain information is
considered secret without legal basis," he said.

Santoso urged the House to revoke the Law No. 7/1971 on
national archives, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years
imprisonment for anyone leaking a state secret.

He proposed the information act regulate the procedures to
obtain information for either commercial or noncommercial
purposes, and their price. (jun)