Observer warns of partisan media groups

JAKARTA (JP): According to journalists and election observers here, unethical reporting during the election process will be an obstacle to democracy and devalue the elections.

In talks on Saturday, political scholar Andi A. Mallarangeng said the "partisan" media groups common at present -- which tend to give sensationalist and biased reports, as many are linked to political parties -- would contribute to chaos and confusion among prospective voters.

He said mainstream media groups should work together to balance such confusion.

"We should help people avoid confusion to enable them to be more selective," Andi told the forum.

Apart from the media having a role as poll monitor, he said, students were also seen as having a potential balancing effect on the election process. However, Andi cited the difficulties faced by poll monitoring networks in recruiting students for their programs.

Some university students have said they will not support the elections by monitoring them, claiming that the current government, as a remnant of the New Order regime, is illegitimate, and therefore so are any elections held under this government.

In the first day of the two-day talks here on the role of journalists in the elections, chief editor of The Jakarta Post Susanto Pudjomartono warned there were only about 12,000 reporters across the country.

These reporters would have to be particularly watchful for cheating in the polls. The practice of distorting democracy is expected to continue from past elections, despite new rules to control it.

"Three crucial stages to be observed are voter registration, ballot counting and the process of selecting future legislators," Susanto said.

Another speaker, president of the Thailand Reporters Association Kavi Chongkittavorn, made suggestions based on Thailand's 66 years of experience covering 20 elections.

Indonesian journalists, he said as an example, must be able to gauge and describe the candidates for the legislature and presidency, which will be submitted by dozens of parties.

"Pinpointing party platforms would help the voters make their decisions," he said.

Among the organizers of the talks were the Asia Forum, Asian Network for Free Elections, Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and Asian Network for Democracy in Indonesia. (edt)