Press gets new freedom

No sane person could deny that one of the most efficacious efforts this nation has undertaken in the struggle for reform is the establishment of a free press.

Since president Soeharto's downfall last year, Indonesia has been surprisingly successful in freeing its press from the yoke of such an authoritarian system.

The freedom has been so warmly welcomed by the populace that innumerable new publications now grace our newsstands. Only time will reveal the public's opinion of the new publications, with only the best surviving.

On the other hand, some people -- notably awe-struck legislators -- have complained that the press has been awarded too much freedom, which they say is having disastrous results. But they fail to support their statements with proof.

The truth is the new policy has not only made the people rejoice, but also has given them a sense of pride because Indonesia now has one of the freest press in Asia and the most outspoken one in Southeast Asia.

The man who made this possible is Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus. Last week he submitted a new press bill to the House of Representatives for deliberation. As in the past, this minister has the capability to surprise people.

The bill recommends the abolition of the obligation for print media to obtain publishing licenses (SIUPP), which has been the sword of Democles over the heads of all Indonesian editors for more than three decades. It is with this weapon that Soeharto cold-bloodedly slay 30 news media since 1974.

Now, beyond any citizen's wildest dream, the Indonesian mass media will be freed from the obligation to obtain a publishing license. They will only have to register with the Ministry of Information to start publishing.

The most revolutionary element in the bill is that foreigners will be granted access to invest in national print media here.

Once the bill is enacted, this country might see a fast growth of its press industry. Although only time will tell what the outcome of all this will be. In recent months the Ministry of Information has received more than 1,000 applications for SIUPPs, while in reality the market has been overextended and the existing media -- including well established ones -- are struggling to survive.

That seems to be the way Indonesians react to new openness. In the political field, 45 parties have been set up since last year and only seven of them gained popular support in the June 7 general election. The rest seem to have a poor understanding of what democracy is all about.

With the granting of greater freedom, once the bill is passed one major challenge for the Indonesian press will be human resources. With many of the newly established media facing human resources problems -- marked by the employment of untrained reporters and inexperienced editors -- those who have been dreaming of setting up shop will think twice before recruiting personnel.

The presence of foreign investment in the local press industry should be welcomed in this era of globalization. The free flow of information is not only possible, but a necessity of a modern society. And the flow of foreign investment will mostly affect English language journals, which will be most needed when this country engages in a regional free market system.