KPI rejects broadcasting rules
Muninggar Sr Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) and a number of broadcasting groups raised their opposition on Tuesday to the draft of a government regulation on broadcasting, as it would revive the government's power in the broadcasting sector.
Saying that the regulation was a set back to the country's fledging democracy, they vowed to press the government to drop several contentious articles that threaten the public's right to information.
The draft is due to be signed before Dec. 28, which is the deadline for the government to issue implementing regulations for Law No. 32/2002 on broadcasting.
KPI chairman Victor Menayang said their opposition was limited to articles granting the government power to issue and revoke broadcasting licenses, to impose sanctions as well as to issue ministerial regulations on broadcasting, which are all against the broadcasting law.
Victor was speaking during a public discussion on the draft, which was attended by representatives of the Indonesian Press and Broadcasting Society (MPPI), the Indonesian Television Stations Association (ATVSI) and the Telematics Society (Mastel).
"We do not oppose all contents of the regulation, but several articles that clearly reflect the government's intention to revive Deppen," he said, referring to the now-defunct information ministry.
The ministry was notorious in terms of press freedom as it had the authority to issue and revoke the licenses of publication and broadcasting companies.
During the New Order era, the ministry often revoked the licenses of both print and electronic media that ran stories deemed critical of the government's policies.
Bimo Nugroho, a KPI member, said that the KPI and broadcasting groups feared that the Office of the State Minister of Communications and Information would hold excessive power enabling it to "rule" the broadcasting sector.
The power to allocate radio and television frequencies and to issue broadcasting licenses, which is currently in the hands of the Ministry of Transportation, would all be transferred to the communication and information minister's office, he said.
"The government has never had a good record in terms of giving licenses. The process has never been transparent. By giving full power to the office, public interests would be overlooked as the government can never be free of political interests," Bimo said.
He said that one of the consequences, if the government insisted on approving the draft, was that state-owned television station TVRI and radio station RRI would never be more independent.
Amir Effendy Siregar of the MPPI said that the MPPI and Mastel had earlier submitted a formal letter of opposition to the draft, both to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the minister's office.
The debate over who has the authority to issue broadcasting licenses began during the presidency of Megawati Soekarnoputri, with both the government and the KPI stubbornly maintaining their stances.
The government insisted that it continue to hold the power to rule the broadcasting sector as the broadcasting law does not specifically grant the KPI the power to do so.
The Constitutional Court has ruled that the broadcasting law is in line with the Constitution, but said that the power to issue technical regulations on broadcasting should be given to the KPI.
The KPI is expected to ask the Supreme Court for a judicial review should the government maintain its previous stance and press the House of Representatives to amend the broadcasting law.