Launch of the HAM Journalists Class, Pigai: Without the Press, the World Would Be Dark

BANDUNG, KOMPAS.com – Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai said the world would be dark if there were no journalists. He stressed the importance of the press in safeguarding democracy and protecting human rights. He said this after opening the HAM Journalists Class programme in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

“Without the press, the world would be dark. I have said that the press is a small candle in a corridor of darkness. Without the press, that corridor could not be illuminated; the press illuminates the world, illuminates the country, illuminates the nation,” Pigai said.

Therefore the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is seeking to build strategic partnerships with the media through various engagements, ranging from meetings with national media leaders to journalist training on human rights issues.

According to him, the press is one of the key pillars of democracy, contributing greatly to civilisation through public participation and the protection of human rights.

“For that reason, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights has committed to forging strategic partnerships, but mutualism without inter-dependence,” he said.

He stated that the media has an important function as a conduit between the people and the government. The press, he said, can convey criticisms, support, and the grievances of the public to the state.

“Good media is media that can articulate the people’s interests to the government and accelerate government policies directly to the people; that is what good media is,” Pigai said.

He also touched on the rapid development of information technology, which he believes is bringing new challenges for the media industry and for journalists.

In his view, in a borderless global environment, journalists are a vulnerable group who can face various pressures, both from the media industry and from other interest groups.

Therefore the government must be present to provide protection for journalists.

“In these circumstances, the government must ensure protection and safeguards for the press. We remain committed to upholding the overall independence and the honour and dignity of individual journalists,” he concluded.

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