Local press getting bolder, observers say

Local press getting bolder, observers say

SEMARANG (JP): The Indonesian press has become more courageous
in recent years and more effective in keeping the government in
check, some political observers say.

Law expert Muladi and political scholar Mochtar Pabotinggi
said on separate occasions yesterday that the press has become
more critical in the current climate of greater freedom.

The two experts were commenting on the state of the country's
press industry in connection with tomorrow's National Press Day.

Muladi, the rector of Diponegoro University in Semarang, said
however, that today's bolder press has not been accompanied by a
commensurate increase in professionalism.

He noted that newspapers and magazines in Indonesia are still
indulging in the practice of trial by the press and "correction"
by the press. They are also violating the presumption of
innocence principle frequently, he said.

Muladi, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights,
cited as an example the way the press treated the allegations of
corruption against Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto
in December.

Some newspapers were clearly taking sides, he said.

"Their coverage was politically loaded, and it was so
blatant," he said. "Clearly, the press must live up to their
responsibility."

However, Muladi welcomed the Indonesian press's current
tendency to be more bold and critical.

The government is not prepared to deal with a more liberal
press, he said, recalling the forced closings of the Tempo,
Editor and DeTik news magazines, which had their publishing
licenses revoked two years ago.

To make sure that the Indonesian press plays by the rules,
Muladi said that the industry's legal framework should be
strengthened so as not to let unethical journalistic practices go
unpunished.

He suggested administrative sanctions against publishers, and
legal action against writers who violate the rules.

Currently, the law allows the government to revoke the
publishing license of a newspaper or magazine, which imminently
leads to closure of the publication.

He also called for a more active role by the Press Council in
supervising the activities of journalists.

Mochtar, a researcher of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
in Jakarta, said the press has become more free and mature in
recent years.

He said the country, and the government, need the presence of
a critical press.

"In the absence of a critical press and public scrutiny of
the various major issues facing the country today, corruption and
collusion will flourish and weaken the government," Mochtar said.

In the end, he said, this could lead to political upheaval.
(har/16)