North Sulawesi spearheaded birth of Indonesian press

North Sulawesi spearheaded birth of Indonesian press

By Rudy L. Badil

MANADO, North Sulawesi (JP): The length of the list of local newspapers, weeklies, magazines and bulletins that have appeared and still appear in North Sulawesi may surprise many: It contains at least 93 titles.

As we commemorate our 11th National Press Day in Manado today, Feb. 9, it is worth recalling that as early as in 1886 -- 109 years ago -- a bulletin by the name of Tjahaja Siang (Light of Day) appeared in Tanawangko, although its circulation was limited.

This first "newspaper" to appear in North Sulawesi was published by N. Graafland, a Dutch missionary and anthropologist whose aim was to spread the gospel in a language which the local population would easily understand. Hence the use of the local Malay dialect. By comparison, the first Malay-language newspaper in this country, the Bintang Soerabaja, appeared only a little more than two decades earlier, in 1861.

In 1923 the bulletin Tjahaja Siang became a newspaper and its name was changed to Minahassa Courant (1923-1934). A second bulletin, titled Manado Courant, was in existence at around the same time as Tjahaja Siang but was apparently short-lived. Records show that it did not last beyond 1909-1910.

"Between 1890-1900 there was already a printing plant, owned by the Manadosche Drukkerij. Later there were several others. The one owned by Liem Boen Yat, which operated from 1926 to 1944, was the most important because it was a letter press, not a hand setting machine," says Chris A. Rondonuwu, who is general manager and chief editor of the Obor Pancasila (Pancasila Torch) weekly newspaper and a member of the SPS national association of newspaper publishers as well as a student of the history of the press in North Sulawesi.

During the heyday of the Indonesian nationalist movement in the 1930s, the press in Minahasa was closely associated with the movement. The mass media became the channel for its political aspirations and journalists were generally firmly opposed to Dutch colonial rule. For example, there were noted journalists and nationalists Dr. Sam Ratulangi, A.B. Waworuntu, A. Durant, M. Linuh, G. Dauhan, H.M. Taulu, O.H. Pantauw, A.A. Maramis, J. Sariowan and O.F. Pua.

The Manado Courant, Aldibra, Persatuan (Unity), Radikal, Pertimbangan (Judgment), Gerakan (Movement), Menara (Tower) and others were all newspapers which opposed colonial rule. At that time the nationalists and the religious organizations played a significant role, according to Rondonuwu.

During the Japanese occupation the newspaper Matahari Terbit (Rising Sun) appeared as a mouthpiece of the Japanese authorities. After Indonesia proclaimed its national independence and the armed struggle against the Dutch began, the newspaper Menara (Tower) reappeared, its circulation reaching about 20,000 in the 1950s.

At around the same period many other newspapers appeared, most of them serving the interests of specific political groups such as the nationalists and the socialists.

At the end of the 1950s a rather gloomy period set in over North Sulawesi. The Permesta secessionist rebellion against the central government in Jakarta rocked the country. A number of newspapers did their share of heating up the political situation in the interest of the Permesta secessionists.

However, a few independent and education-oriented newspapers continued to exist, among them Taman Ibu (Women's Garden), led by a noted local leader Mrs. Walanda Maramis, Guru (Teacher) and Suara Guru Minahasa (Voice of Minahasa Teachers).

During the period of the Permesta secessionist rebellion not a single newspaper of the previous period survived. To fill the void the local military command published the newspapers Genderang Prajurit (Soldier's Drum) and Warta Amurang (Amurang News). The revival occurred only at the beginning of the 1960s, during the period of Guided Democracy, when the bulletin Merdeka (Freedom), and the newspapers Harian Sadar (Awakening Daily Newspaper), Suluh Merdeka (Torch of Freedom), Pancasila, Nusa Putera (Son of the Country), Suluh Bhakti (Service Torch) and others appeared.

A refreshing breeze came for the media after the Basic Press Law of 1966 came into effect," says Rondonuwu, who has led Obor Pancasila since 1961. Although its capacity was limited, the state printing plant served all the 25 press publications as best it could on a rotation basis. This printing by letter press lasted until 1978.

In the meantime newspapers perished one after the other until, after a few mergers, only several were left. These mergers were necessary because of the shortage in both printing capacity and materials. Chris Rondonuwu still remembers how he was forced to have his newspaper, Obor Pancasila, printed in Jakarta. Warta Utara (News of the North) fared the same fate.

"Only in the early 1980s did we have adequate offset printing facilities, which was provided by a plant owned by the PT Golden Webb company in Manado. This situation lasted for one year," recalls Rondonuwu. "In 1984, the year when the system of press publishing permits (SIUPP) was introduced, another offset printing plant opened, this one owned by Toko Lima. Then a few newspapers, among them Lensa Utara (Lens of the North), brought in their own printing equipment."

In a workshop under the theme The Press in Eastern Indonesia, which was held in Manado in October 1987, the North Sulawesi media was represented by the Manado Pos, Cahaya Siang, Warta Utara, Obor Pancasila, Wibawa (Authority) and a number of other publications, including Bogani, which appeared in Kotamobagu.

The North Sulawesi printed media, meanwhile achieved considerable progress by cooperating with newspapers in Jakarta and Surabaya. Cahaya Siang, for example, for some time collaborated with Media Indonesia and the Manado Pos with Jawa Pos.

The circulation which the local newspapers enjoy in North Sulawesi is quite satisfactory, considering the fact that the province has a population of only 2.5 million people. In addition almost all the major media publications published outside the province also circulate in Manado and other major cities in the province.

"But among the constraints that emerged is capital. Another restriction concerns the incomes of those who are involved in media publication. The average salary for journalists here is Rp 150,000 a month. The difficulty of getting local advertisements is yet another constraint," says Rondonuwu, who admits that because of these problems his supposedly weekly newspaper Obor Pancasila is having difficulties appearing regularly. "Another serious problem is that some government officials prefer to subscribe to journalists rather than to local weeklies or daily newspapers.

"Because our reporters are not paid enough they are tempted to accept pay-offs. Some reporters show those officials clippings of their reports in the hope that they will get something in return for it. This is disgraceful but that is the reality," says Rondonuwu.

Rondonuwu hopes National Press Day, 1995, will mark the dawn of a brighter future for the press in North Sulawesi.

"It is an undeniable fact that the publication of Tjahaja Siang near the end of the last century places North Sulawesi in the ranks of pioneers of the Indonesian press. But we must admit that the situation in which the North Sulawesi media is at present operating, facilities and capital included, is actually still quite dim and certainly not as bright as the name of the first bulletin would suggest," he says.