Press freedom vital in 'overcoming woes'
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia cannot do much in battling the corruption, collusion and nepotism which has devastated the nation and sapped its resources unless press freedom and transparency are maintained, a top official said on Monday.
Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung said the government's removal of almost all the bridles imposed on the press by former president Soeharto's regime was recognition of the importance of freedom of the press.
"I fully support the press having the freedom to ensure true democracy," Akbar told editors and journalists from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He urged them to exercise the power of press freedom prudently for the good of their people and countries.
About 40 journalists from the region are participating in the 7th ASEAN Editors Conference. It is aimed at enhancing cooperation and boosting news exchange to counter unbalanced news coverage by international media on the impact of the economic crisis in the region.
Akbar asserted that although Indonesia's economic crisis caused sporadic violence in several parts of the country, the situation was not as bad as reported by the international media and transnational news agencies.
He called on the ASEAN News Exchange (ANEX) to work more efficiently and effectively to achieve its goal.
The managing director of the state-run Antara news agency, Parni Hardi, who is hosting three-day conference, announced on Monday that new members Laos and Myanmar were accepted into ANEX, although delegates from Yangon were not present at the meeting.
Other ASEAN members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Parni called on ANEX members to uphold press freedom, accuracy and maintain impartial reporting to boost the network's credibility.
He said that although Antara was a government-run institution, it was independent and not controlled by the authorities.
"Antara does not take sides with any of the 48 political parties in the coming June election, including the ruling Golkar Party." He said professional journalists should remain impartial in their reporting.
ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo Severino said the economic crisis blighting the region for the past two years was actually "a blessing in disguise" for members of the regional grouping since it spurred ASEAN integration and solidarity.
Severino said that although not announced publicly, ASEAN's finance ministers and central bank governors set up a "surveillance" mechanism -- exchange of information regarding the monetary polices and development in each member countries -- to deal with economic problems before they spread.
The mechanism is managed by the ASEAN Secretariat, with temporary funding from the Asian Development Bank.
An observer at the conference said about eight publishers in the region, including from India, had begun more practical cooperation than ANEX, whose function and efficiency were often questioned. (ego)