Press gets new freedom
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.