Observer warns of partisan media groups

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)