Press freedom in peril

Charges of abuse of freedom which have been hurled at the media from several quarters in recent months only go to show how precarious press freedom still is in this country even in the reform era, and how unused we are to the workings of a democratic society.

One of the first and most scathing public attacks came in January from none other than President B.J. Habibie. In his speech presenting the state budget to the House of Representatives, of all places, he urged legislators to pay attention to the media's abuse of newly instituted reforms which exceeded tolerable boundaries.

The latest to earn the wrath of some lesser leading personalities in our political elite are the Jakarta newspapers Sinar Pagi and Merdeka -- the first for calling Golkar's recent party declaration during a mass rally at the Senayan sports stadium "bland", the second for reporting that the rain-drenched event was "struck by lightning".

To some extent, such sensitivity to unflattering publicity is entirely understandable. After all, it has been less than 10 months since this nation was freed from the yoke of 32 years of dictatorial rule under the New Order regime.

What makes the whole thing rather deplorable is that besides President Habibie, who has the power to curb existing freedoms, the strongest condemnation of the so-called abuse of freedom has so far come from legislators. This is despite the fact they are supposed to understand that, as the late American President Franklin D. Roosevelt put it, some of the fundamentals of democracy would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.

It is ironic in the extreme to hear Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus come to the defense of press freedom during a House hearing on Monday, fending off legislators' griping that too much freedom was turning many press publications into "provocateurs who confuse the people and incite them to commit acts of mass brutality".

To be sure, not all of the innumerable newspapers, tabloids and newsmagazines that have appeared since Soeharto's resignation last May have exercised the same degree of restraint and responsibility in their reporting of current events in this country. Quite a number have indeed gone overboard in their efforts to attract the attention of readers, using sensational reports and headlines that could cause some faces to turn red with rage or embarrassment.

However, as Muhammad Yunus correctly pointed out, there are laws to protect people against libel and using them would serve the interests of the community better than curbing the press. As for allegations of media-induced acts of mass brutality, the minister challenged the legislators to produce proof.

All of which merely reaffirms that despite the freedom the Indonesian media enjoys at present, this most fundamental of liberties is still not something it can take for granted. Instead, it must be constantly watched and worked for.

Self-evident though it may seem, there is the need to constantly point out that there has not been a single case so far of media-induced mass disorder or "brutality". This in itself is heartening proof the Indonesian public in general is capable of sorting out the trustworthy from the questionable, more so, perhaps, than some of our better educated and better positioned legislators and officials.