House opens window for broadcasting bill review

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives (DPR) delayed on Monday its endorsement of the broadcasting bill, allowing for a possible revision of the much debated draft law.

Poor attendance was the ostensible reason for the postponement as only 216 of the 496 legislators had signed the attendance list an hour after the plenary session was convened by House deputy speaker AM Fatwa at 9 a.m.

There were no signs of disquiet over the bill among the legislators, but House Speaker Akbar Tandjung admitted that the mounting pressure for changes to the broadcasting bill had resulted in the delay in its endorsement.

The House Steering Committee will meet on Tuesday to determine a new date for a plenary session to endorse the bill.

The bill was submitted to the House two years ago to replace the 1997 broadcasting bill, which had been rejected by then president Soeharto.

"If certain parts of the bill spark controversy, we'd better take the views of the public into consideration. If these views are reasonable, why not?" Akbar said moments after Fatwa had adjourned the plenary session.

Various groups have condemned the bill, saying that it gives an excessive role to the government. Others have objected to a number of articles which could prejudice their commercial interests.

Under the new bill, the government is mandated to participate in the drafting of at least 12 government regulations to put meat on the bones of the enacted law.

About 300 media and broadcasting industry figures staged a demonstration outside the House chamber while the plenary session was taking place to reject the passage of the bill.

The protesters, from the Indonesian Television Broadcasting Association (ATVSI) and the Television Community, claimed that a number of articles in the bill had the potential to revive repression of the media and the broadcasting industry.

From the business perspective, they said the bill would discourage investment.

Under the new bill, radio and television stations would not be allowed to broadcast nationwide, and would only be permitted one channel in each coverage area. If they wanted to expand the scope of their broadcasts, they would have to collaborate with local partners by setting up networks.

Akbar, a member of Soeharto's Cabinet when the long-time ruler refused to sign the 1997 broadcasting bill, said the strong opposition to the bill was proof that it had failed to satisfy the public's expectations that it would facilitate the media in providing education, information and entertainment.

Compared to the 1997 bill, the new broadcasting bill is much more comprehensive.

It envisages the setting up of a new institution, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), which would function as an independent regulatory body.

The broadcasting commission is designed to accommodate public participation and the views of the broadcasting community.

The enlightened thinking behind the KPI is, however, tainted by the decision of the lawmakers to give the government a role in issuing executory regulations on broadcasting.

Commenting on the delay, State Minister for Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif said that the government could only follow the agenda set by the House.

"We are waiting for another invitation from the House (regarding the passage of the bill)," Syamsul said.

Asked if there was any possibility of the bill being revised, Syamsul stressed that the public had been involved in the debate on the bill and already protested against some of its articles.

Whether or not the views of the public were taken into account, he said, depended on the legislators.

The poor attendance during the plenary session has further tarnished the legislature's already battered image. The House's standing orders stipulate that a plenary session meets the quorum if more than half of the legislators sign the attendance list, regardless of the fact that they are not actually present during the session.

The chairman of the special committee for the deliberation of the broadcasting bill, Paulus Widiyanto, maintained that all of the factions in the House had approved the bill and that its endorsement was only a matter of time.

"Some legislators gave notice that they wouldn't attend as they had to visit towns outside Jakarta," Paulus added.

One legislator acknowledged that he had received a message via his cellular phone urging him not to attend the session so as to support freedom of information.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) called on the House to drop some of the articles in the bill that endangered press freedom.

These articles included Article 32 on the issuance of frequency and broadcasting permits.

The AJI said that this article contradicted Law No.40/1999 on the Press which stipulated that press freedom was a manifestation of the people's sovereignty based on the principles of democracy, justice and the supremacy of law.