Legislators query new ministry

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What's in a name? Lawmakers on Monday questioned the move by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to create a new Ministry of Communications and Information.

They fear the new ministry could become a powerful and repressive institution -- like its namesake under former president Soeharto -- which would undermine the hard-fought freedom of the press in the country.

Abdillah Toha of the National Mandate Party (PAN) urged the ministry to provide the public with a detailed explanation about the new structure of the ministry.

"There must be clarity -- if the ministry will become a ministry of propaganda or a ministry which only follows the guidelines of Mr. President," he said at a hearing between Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan A. Djalil and House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I for information affairs here.

Fellow legislator Shidki Wahab of the Democratic Party said he was worried the ministry would become more powerful than the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) when dealing with broadcasting affairs.

The ministry and the KPI are currently engaged in a dispute over which has the authority to issue broadcasting licenses.

Last week's presidential decree upgrades the Office of the State Minister of Communications and Information into a portfolio ministry that also absorbs the responsibilities of the Directorate General of Postal Affairs and Telecommunications. The directorate was previously under the Ministry of Transportation.

Meanwhile, Arif Mudatsir Mandan of the United Development Party (PPP) questioned the impact of the new structure on the state budget.

"Of course, the new structure affects the state budget. The government must give an explanation," Arif said.

Responding to the questions, Sofyan A. Djalil assured the Commission the new structure of his ministry would not revive the repressive ministry of information during the New Order regime.

Sofyan emphasized that Suharto's ministry was established during an authoritarian regime, while the current body was set up in a democratic era.

He admitted his officials had been drafting a government regulation that gave the ministry authority to issue broadcasting licenses.

Sofyan, however, promised that he would be ready to seek a legal opinion from the Supreme Court concerning the issue.

"If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the KPI, we will abide by that decision," Sofyan said.

In addition, the minister said the government was considering regulating fund-raising activities carried out by print and broadcasting media, especially in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Aceh and North Sumatra.

The regulations would encourage fund-raisers to make transparent financial reports to the public, he said, which would be drawn up in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance.