Press reticence linked to publishing requirement

JAKARTA (JP): Obligatory publishing licenses for Indonesian print media and the continual threat of their revocation has made the press timid, a mass communications expert said Saturday.

M. Budyatna from the University of Indonesia said requirement of the license, or SIUPP, contributed to an uncertain future for the media.

"The publishing license can be revoked at any time without clear explanation, rendering the Indonesian press timid," Budyatna said when addressing a workshop for journalists in Padang, West Sumatra.

Budyatna, also dean of the university's school of sociopolitical sciences, said the press was afraid to report on sensitive issues which might lead to closure, or prohibited from exploring them by the government.

The government has closed many newspapers and magazines over the past 30 years, mostly for editorial content. The most recent were Tempo, DeTIK and Editor newsweeklies in 1994.

Despite calls to end the license requirement, the government insists it is necessary to ensure the local press is "free but responsible".

Budyatna detailed the press' role in the fight for independence during the colonial era and in promoting development following its achievement, Antara reported.

He said the Indonesian press was not the government's enemy as it had been during colonial times, and its mission to uphold truth and justice was undiminished.

"The press' efforts to uphold truth and justice cause it to fall headfirst into the hands of its partners, namely the government," Budyatna said.

He cited revocation of 18 publishing licenses since the 1970s.

The press' courage in upholding truth and justice were useless if they paid the high price of closure, he said, adding that press solidarity under the circumstances was limited to expressions of commiseration.

Closures caused a far-reaching impact, particularly in loss of income of reporters and staff of banned media.

Budyatna said issuing a new license to replace the invalidated one does not help because it would take time to establish a new publishing image among the readership.

"Closures of mass media without the media being able to defend itself can create an unhealthy effect for a democratic press in Indonesia," he said, adding that the 1982 revision of the Press Law of 1966 was a good start to creating freer press.

He noted that freedom tied to responsibility is mentioned in the 1966 law, but said free should not be equated with "anarchy." (01)