Press and new information minister

Press and new information minister

Ignatius Haryanto , Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has assigned Sofyan A.
Djalil as State Minister of Communications and Information.
Sofyan holds a doctorate in international finance and capital
marketing from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, as well
as being a corporate communications consultant and an advisor
with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

Since the inauguration of the new Cabinet, Sofyan Djalil has
appeared as a government spokesman -- or, more accurately, as a
spokesman of the President -- who briefs reporters on the outcome
of Cabinet meetings, and on other presidential activities.

The role of spokesman is suited to Sofyan because of the role
of his ministry. However, naturally other tasks demand the new
minister's attention.

Much work has been left incomplete by the previous ministry,
for instance, the Freedom of Information bill. Its deliberation
by the House of Representatives (DPR) was concluded, but it still
needs to be discussed with the executive branch of government
before it is passed into law.

Also, the ministry needs to develop mutual understanding among
bodies that govern the media, such as the Press Council and the
Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI). The previous minister,
Sjamsul Muarif seemed reluctant to communicate with those bodies,
as the Press Council and the KPI acted independently to govern
the media and to mediate in the event of complaints against it.

A united vision is needed if these governing bodies are to
perform optimally, and without too much state intervention. The
KPI and the Press Council are state bodies, and both are elected
independently by the House. They need the support of the state,
for instance, in the form of modest funds and other facilities,
to ensure that they run effectively.

Several disputes with the media show that using such governing
bodies to tackle media complaints is more effective and dignified
-- both for the media and those who feel they have been wronged
by the media.

It would also be useful for the minister to open dialogs with
non-governmental organizations, journalists' organizations,
universities, research institutes and other stakeholders.

Concerning media laws -- the Press Law and the Broadcasting
Law -- the new minister is expected to study them carefully to
balance the interests of maintaining media freedom, the public's
right to information, and the state's involvement in governing
bodies, to prevent big media industries from monopolizing the
airwaves.

The current media laws still do not satisfy all media
stakeholders, with differing opinions as to whether the Press Law
should be regarded as a lex specialis (special law), or lex
generalis (common law). While media community insists that the
law as special law should be used in settling any disputes
between the media and third parties, courts prefer to use it as a
common law.

However, the revision of the current Press Law would not be
the best option now, since that would create uncertainty.

In short, we hope that the communications and information
ministry does not become the embodiment of the department of
propaganda that it was under Soeharto.

The writer is a researcher and vice executive director of the
Institute for Press and Development Studies in Jakarta. He can be
reached at ignh@yahoo.com.