Press slammed for election reporting
JAKARTA (JP): A human rights campaigner slammed Indonesia's press yesterday for lopsided reporting of the May general election with its "empty words".
The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association's executive director, Hendardi, said the press published little more than campaign speeches and promises.
"The media ran... speeches which said the same thing, gave the same old promises like eradicating corruption," said Hendardi, a former student activist. "The press failed to remind the parties of their past promises."
Hendardi told a seminar on media coverage of the general election that his organization had trouble informing the press about "things beyond the election".
"The election drowned the press coverage of other things," he said, citing various social political issues.
On May 29, Indonesians went to the poll for the sixth time under the New Order government. They had a choice of three parties: the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), the dominant Golkar and the conflict-ridden Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Golkar won 325 of the 425 contested seats in the House of Representatives, the PPP won 89 while the PDI got 11. The remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces whose members do not vote.
During 27 days of campaigning before the election, riots erupted in many parts of the country, including Jakarta, South Kalimantan, East Java and Central Java. Hundreds died in traffic accidents while campaigning or in campaign-related unrest.
Another speaker, broadcaster Ishadi S.K, admitted that the television station he worked for, TPI, had not screened full pictures of unrest in Jakarta.
"During the election we were very restricted, including by self censorship," he said. "We did not show the riot in Warung Buncit (South Jakarta) because we feared it would influence the people."
Ishadi said that today's media was closely linked to commercial and other interests.
"We are caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between four parties -- the professional (journalists), the owner, the government and the political elite," he said.
"News is only a small component of the media business. If there is news that will endanger the business, we should take careful steps," said Ishadi, a former top official at the government television station, TVRI.
Indonesia has five private television stations: RCTI, SCTV, AnTeve, TPI and Indosiar. All of them are owned by politically well-connected conglomerates. RCTI is part of a business group owned by President Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, the Bimantara group. AnTeve is under the Bakrie Group. Indosiar is a subsidiary of Indogroup, owned by tycoon Sudono Salim.
Ishadi denied that self-censorship reflected Indonesian media's lack of professionalism.
"The quality of professionalism should not be judged by one single item (news)," he said. "We have many broadcasts and news."
But Hendardi insisted that the press should always stick to its role of educating people.
"The press should play a role in raising people's understanding of the true meaning of general elections, and not get trapped in what the government wants it to report," he said.
The seminar was held by the Dr. Soetomo Press Institute to mark the closing of its annual journalism course for mid-career journalists. (35)