People's access to information limited

People's access to information limited

JAKARTA (JP): Activists said that regardless of the reform
era, access to public information was still limited mainly due to
a bureaucratic culture where officials remain reluctant to
disseminate information.

Mas Achmad Santosa, a senior Researcher at the Indonesian
Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), stressed the need to
establish an information access watchdog to ensure people get the
information they are entitled to.

"Many people still find it difficult to obtain data or
information from government institutions because the government
still perceives information as its personal property," Achmad
told a seminar on public information here on Monday.

Achmad recounted how he tried to obtain data on the 10 ways to
accelerate economic growth as prescribed by Coordinating Minister
for the Economy Rizal Ramli.

"The data was said to be strictly private and confidential.
How come?" he said.

Another example, according to Achmad, was how the House of
Representatives conducted closed door sessions to draft bills.

"Government shouldn't use its prerogatives as an excuse to
deny information to the public," he argued.

F. Sri Hardiyanti Purwadhi, a researcher from the National
Aeronautical and Space Institute (Lapan), conceded that the
closed bureaucratic culture was still an impediment.

"For example, Lapan has no authority to disclose its
innovations directly to the public," she said.

Satellite data on forest fire hot-spots, for example, has to
be given to the Environmental Impact Control Agency (Bapedal)
which then passes it on to the Ministry of Forestry.

"Data about weather has to be given to the Meteorological and
Geophysics Agency. The same thing also happens to other data,"
Sri said.

According to Achmad, the institution which originally produced
the data should have the authority to disseminate it in order to
reduce bureaucracy.

Of course there is certain information that cannot be revealed
to the public such as information which could endanger the state,
business interests and a person's right to privacy, he added.

Also exempted is information whose disclosure would have
serious prejudicial consequences, such as violating a person's
right to the presumption of innocence, disrupting or threatening
the survival of a business, undermining the nation's defense and
security and threatening the lives of others.

"These exceptions should be subject to verification," Achmad
stressed.

Therefore, Achmad said, there has to be guidelines or a law
which clearly defines the exceptions.

"We are also of the opinion that it is necessary to impose
sanctions on those who hamper access to public information," he
added. (09)