Ministry of information to focus on technology

Muninggar Sri Saraswati The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The government has defended its move to upgrade the Office of the State Minister into a full-blown portfolio ministry, saying it would help develop information and communications technology (ICT) in the country.

Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil said on Thursday the transfer of the postal and telecommunication directorate generals from original information ministry to his office would accelerate the achievement of this goal.

"We want to develop ICT as most Indonesians have limited skills in this field, especially mobile or wireless technology, which is important if we want to produce change," he said after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the presidential office.

The Ministry of Communications and Information was established after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed presidential regulations No. 9/2005 and No. 10/2005 on the structure and organization of ministerial offices and ministries, respectively, on Jan. 31.

The decree allows the new ministry to establish offices in the country's 33 provinces. But its function in the regions remains limited by the autonomy law.

Sofyan said there would be no connection between the new post and the telecommunications directorate general or the older umbrella ministry of information.

Other technical posts include the wireless technology and information infrastructure directorate generals.

One of the telecommunications directorate general's powers is to allocate frequencies for electronic media such as radio and television.

The wireless technology office is responsible for development of telematrics, an Internet broadcasting system that technology forecasters say will revolutionize the web, as well as human resources, Sofyan said.

The information infrastructure directorate general, meanwhile, will manage the licenses for radio and television channels among its tasks.

Sofyan dismissed accusations the new ministry would emulate the information ministry during former president Soeharto's New Order era, which was notorious for its control of the press.

"We don't have a press and graphics directorate general," he said, referring to the old directorate general that wielded the power to issue publishing and broadcasting licenses.

The State Minister of Communications and Information Office was recently criticized for its ignorance of the Indonesia Broadcasting Commission's (KPI) plan to establish a series of government regulations on broadcasting.

The KPI questioned the power of the new ministry to allocate media frequencies, saying this should be its responsibility.