Ministry of information revived? Dump the old paradigms
The issue to revive the ministry of information has received mixed reactions. The Jakarta Post's Israr Ardiansyah talked to multimedia expert RM Roy Suryo Udoro, better known as Roy Soeryo, who teaches at the Gadjah Mada University and the Indonesian Arts Institute in Yogyakarta.
Question: How do you view the possibility of a revival of the ministry of information?
Answer: The issue has something to do with political deals among the political parties. It's related to the number of positions in the Cabinet that should be distributed to political parties involved in inter-faction meetings. The idea is not based on feasibility studies.
Q: What about the argument that we need an official body that serves as the government's public relations office?
A: The old paradigms of the ministry of information must be thrown away. We have to formulate a new concept to deal with the fast-growing communications technology in the global age or the Internet era.
Q: What do you suggest?
A: Along with other colleagues across the country, I suggest that the government establish a brand new ministry, the ministry of telematics (telecommunications and information), as an institution that will develop telecommunications, the media and informatics in Indonesia. I would hope that the ministry could accelerate the development of communications.
Q: Is it enough?
A: If the government really needs a PR office, why doesn't it just make the role of the current National Information Center more professional, including making use of its website (www.info- ri.com) as an official source of information? The United States Information Service could be a good model for the government's official information service, which could be a rich source of comprehensive information.
Q: Could such a PR office be manipulated to control the media?
A: The rising concern of the threat to press freedom is not groundless. That's why I would suggest that the function of information be regulated in a sub-department in the ministry of telematics. This ministry would accommodate two urgent needs: first, the institution that facilitates the needs of telecommunications, media and informatics in Indonesia; and second, the needs of an important source to develop a professional information center.
This ministry could resolve the issue of complicated and overlapping regulations like the telecommunications law, press law, broadcasting bill, multimedia bill and other related bills drafted without synchronization or comprehensive consideration.
Q: How could this ministry compete in this Internet era, especially to accomplish its PR mission?
A: That's the big challenge! Indonesia has to learn from Japan's official broadcasting station NHK or the UK's British Broadcasting Corporation, which have become bigger and bigger, and internationally credible. The answer is, they are committed to their jobs. The content is prepared in an appropriate and serious manner.
Q: How about our broadcasting stations?
A: The state television (TVRI) and radio (RRI) have shown improvement despite the ministry of information being their patron throughout history. RRI, through its PRO-3 program, or TVRI, through the reformatting of its news, have improved. The idea of reviving the ministry could be a setback to these broadcasting companies.
Q: Are you sure that the ministry of telematics is a good solution?
A: First, I hope that President Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri becomes aware that a ministry of information would be an atrocious choice. Second, this world is converging: we really need a ministry that will facilitate the development of information technology and telecommunications (ITT).
It would be a pity if, just because we are not aware of the importance of telematics, we could only represented by a person of directorate general level when engaged in a bilateral agreement or government-to-government deal on ITT, while ministers, prime ministers or even presidents represent other countries in Southeast Asia or Asia on such issues.