Legislators back TNI position against media coverage in Aceh
Legislators back TNI position against media coverage in Aceh
Kurniawan Hari and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
A number of legislators on Monday regretted most reports on Aceh
by both domestic and international media, and demanded the
government to find a mechanism to control media reporting in the
troubled province.
They said that most media made provocative reports on the
military operation and mentioned little about the humanitarian
activities and law enforcement programs in Aceh.
Sidharto Danusubroto of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) especially criticized a report on
television featuring soldiers dragging a dead body.
Fellow legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin of the Golkar
faction also criticized the media for using the terminology
"military operation" instead of "security-restoring operation".
"Operation to restore security is the fourth item on the four-
step operation for Aceh. So why has it becomes the main focus?"
Yasril asked during a hearing with Minister of Communication and
Information Syamsul Mu'arif.
The legislators suggested that Minister Syamsul find a way to
control reports from the mass media.
Meanwhile, Slamet Supriyadi from the Military/Police faction
added that, for the sake of the existence of the unitary Republic
of Indonesia, the national press should write stories that
benefit the nation.
Responding to complaints from legislators, the minister said
that at present, the government would not impose restrictions on
the media.
Syamsul said the government could only appeal to the media to
provide more coverage on the government's overall program in
Aceh, instead of on stories that benefit the separatist Free Aceh
Movement (GAM).
"But, if the situation gives the government no other choice,
(media) restriction will be unavoidable," Syamsul added.
Separately, Ashadi Siregar, a lecturer at Gadjah Mada
University's School of Communication Studies, said on Monday that
instead of moving against the media, the government and the
military should investigate the alleged human rights abuses in
Aceh as reported by the media.
"That's what news reports are for," he said, adding that the
country should have an independent ombudsman to investigate
various media reports that are disputed by the public, including
the military.
Ashadi, however, regretted the military's move to question the
reports and even threatening to sue the media that carried
articles on the military's alleged human rights violations.
Supporting an earlier statement by Press Council chairman
Atmakusumah Astraatmaja, Ashadi noted that media reports could
not be accepted as truth in a legal sense and therefore, the
media could not be required to take legal responsibility for its
coverage in Aceh.
Ashadi told media not to be afraid of the military's move if
they believed that their reports were based on fact.
"This (occurrence) teaches journalists to learn how to
research facts from credible sources. They don't have to be
afraid if they exercise the basic principle of journalism," said
Ashadi, who leads a journalism institution in Yogyakarta.