Media urged to inform public, leaders alike

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Tabanan, Bali

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie says that increased spending on consumptive goods over the past few years has meant huge profits for advertising firms.

Speaking at the opening of the first Asia Pacific Media Forum (APMF) on Monday, he said that while the impacts of the financial crisis of mid 1997 had been long-lasting, this had not stopped many people from purchasing luxury cars, designer clothing and expensive home appliances, among other goods.

Such spending, he added, was the answer to why gross advertising expenditure in the country last year hit an all-time high at around US$3 billion, second only to China.

"But we need to ensure that advertising communications are effective to generate a justifiable return on investment for advertisers," Aburizal said.

A recent survey by an advertising firm said ad expenditure here rose 32 percent to Rp 22.21 trillion (US$2.37 billion) last year, of which more than two-thirds went on television advertising. Expenditure is expected to increase by another 20 percent this year.

The two-day forum, involving 300 participants from Asia- Pacific countries, is aimed at discussing the latest media and advertising challenges amid the rapid growth of media technology and changing consumer habits.

In his speech, Aburizal also highlighted the task of the media to educate and influence the public on crucial issues. He pointed to the ongoing dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia over the Ambalat offshore oil field.

"The media must not make people emotional but soothe their anger, so the dispute will not turn into an open conflict," he said.

Anti-Malaysia groups in some cities here have opened registration for volunteers in the event that the dispute leads to war, although the governments of the two countries have pledged to seek a peaceful solution.

Aburizal said after the New Order regime, the media had played a prominent role, serving as a vehicle for intelligent public discussion and policy criticism.

"Our politics are now more open, our society more plural, our economy more diverse and hence our media is finding new ways to cope with it, while preserving its basic role as the fourth pillar of democracy," he said.

Another keynote speaker at the forum, Jakob Oetama, CEO of Kompas Gramedia, said the change in consumer behavior was one of the significant impacts of globalization.

"We have to critically respond to it," he said. "Globalization has good and bad sides. There are opportunities for members of the international community to know and understand one another and to cooperate to build mutual understanding and solidarity."

Jakob stressed the huge impact of the media on the life of people around the world. "The dynamism of the media is a phenomenon that has become increasingly globalized, simultaneous and interactive in this 21st century."

As an illustration, Jakob took the media's role in the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami.

The media -- ranging from television, radio, the Internet, news agencies and printed media -- around the world has been committed to reporting on the situation in tsunami-stricken areas. This effort has created humanitarian solidarity all over the world, he said.

Jakob spoke positively about the increasing number of media organizations since the reform era. Previously, in the Soeharto era, there were only 289 dailies, but the number has skyrocketed to around 1,600.

However, the high number of printed media publications is not a good indication of their circulation, as TV and radio stations now dominate the industry, he added.