Ministry of information to focus on technology

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.