Legislators query new ministry

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.