Half-hearted reform of media policy
By Atmakusumah
JAKARTA (JP): A quick positive response by Information Minister Muhammad Yunus to demonstrating young journalists' demands for looser press control is quite astounding. But does his new policy guarantee the absence of government intervention in the internal affairs of the media in the future?
Dozens of young journalists visited the Ministry of Information on May 28 in a demonstration led by the newly established Solidarity of the Indonesian Press Society (SMPI). The leader of the demonstrators read out a 10-point petition during an unprepared meeting with the minister.
The minister unexpectedly said that he agreed with all the journalists' proposals, which included the revision of the Press Law and the revocation of a regulation which designated the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) as the only recognized organization for Indonesian journalists. He also promised to lift a controversial regulation which gave the information minister the right to revoke press publication licenses.
Only eight days later, June 5, the minister kept his promise. He issued a series of new rulings on press and radio broadcasting as part of "reformation in the information sector".
Under the new regulations, the information minister no longer has the power to revoke press publication licenses but publishers who violate the terms of their permits could be brought to court. The regulations also stipulate that journalists could set up new organizations separate from the 50-year-old PWI. As to the revision of the Press Law, the minister said it would take time because this would involve the House of Representatives.
The information minister, however, still retains the power to suspend "for a certain period of time" -- but without setting a time limit -- the licenses of press publications which violate the terms of their permits.
The regulations also still require all journalists to become members of a professional organization, which is a violation of human rights -- the right of journalists to join or not to join an organization.
Notwithstanding the minister's commitment to "reformation in the information sector", the new regulations obviously have not yet fulfilled all the demands of the young journalists for "total reform" -- political jargon now popularly being used by university students, intellectuals and other advocates of political reforms all over the country.
Young journalists continue to feel uneasy about the future of press freedom in Indonesia. The information minister's new regulations indicate that the government is not yet deeply committed to "total reform" of its media policy. Therefore, as in the past, the government might still be tempted to interfere in the internal affairs of the media in the future. Or, even worse, it might continue to ban press publications one way or another.
Lukas Luwarso, newly elected chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), said in an interview earlier this month: "I see no substantial changes in the new press regulations. Therefore, I think that when the current regime has regained the strength of its power, it might succeed in banning critical press publications through a court of law," (Media Indonesia, June 7, 1998).
Soeharto's resignation on May 21 from his 32-year presidency does not seem to have ended the fear for a continued banning of press publications in Indonesia.
In a country like Indonesia, where the practices of professional journalism very often have to compromise with political pragmatism in order to remain in business, it is not always easy to convince students of practical journalism that it is necessary for every journalist to maintain his or her ideals. However, it is the duty of journalism educators to convince the students that disillusionment will not help their media to develop professionally.
That is what lecturers have been trying to do at the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute in Jakarta over the years. They have to build up the spirit of their students -- both working journalists and candidate journalists -- to fight for their goal to become professional journalists.
The institute's former students seem to have kept up that spirit; Roy Pakpahan, the demonstration leader at the Ministry of Information, and Lukas Luwarso, just happen to be former students.
They have been fighting for freedom of the press, and -- more importantly -- the establishment of the ideal morals behind that, which include the following points.
* Openness, which will allow people and the authorities to communicate with each other openly and with honesty.
* Independence, which could mean to keep away from collusive practices between journalists and the press on the one side and news sources, either government officials or business circles on the other.
* Integrity, which will keep the "envelope culture" (bribery) and corruption away from journalists.
The writer is the executive director of the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute in Jakarta. The article was based on a paper prepared for a panel discussion entitled "Free Press, Fair Press: Asia" in Hong Kong, on June 10, 1998. The conference was arranged by the Freedom Forum Asian Center.
Window: The information minister, however, still retains the power to suspend "for a certain period of time" -- but without setting a time limit -- the licenses of press publications which violate the terms of their permits.