Private stations suffered during New Order
By Brillianto K. Jaya
JAKARTA (JP): The oppressive political climate in the New Order era meant that the freedom of private television stations was severely hampered. They had to bow to the wishes of the authorities and toe the official line on all sensitive issues.
The authoritarian ruler took repressive measures against private television stations to defend his own existence.
In 1997, the then Minister of Information R. Hartono ordered ANteve and SCTV to cancel their plans to broadcast live then finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad's explanation of the liquidation of 16 banks to members of the People's Consultative Assembly/House of Representatives. The broadcast had already been scheduled and had the approval of the House. The cancellation was clearly the result of an intervention by the New Order authorities, who did not want the public to know the details behind the liquidation of the banks, some of which were owned by Soeharto's relatives.
The press was also under pressure when Harmoko, now the House speaker, was the minister of information. Like the print media, private television stations could not spread independent uncensored information. All information, news, and programs which were not running according to government policies were silenced. Through the Ministry of Information, Soeharto developed an authoritarian government to fulfill his dictatorial vision.
Examples abound of how the Soeharto government, through Harmoko as information minister, stopped private television stations reporting on the arbitrariness of the power holders and the government apparatus, and human rights violations by the Armed Forces. Private television was precluded from reporting on matters considered sensitive to the government's image. It is not surprising that, to protect their own livelihood, private news programs rarely covered such issues, and if they did, only touched the surface. The result was that there was no in-depth reporting or investigation of questionable government actions or official misdealings.
The government bared its iron hand when it banned the talk show Perspektif on SCTV in 1995. Perspektif, hosted by Wimar Witoelar, featured sometimes controversial comments by prominent figures and political observers. The program did not fit the official vision, and was thought by those in power to have the potential to change the thinking of the Indonesian community to the government's detriment. The authorities were afraid that Perspektif would become an alternative media forum for the development of the opposition.
The program Debat Terbuka (Open Debate) was another similar case. In the same year, the Ministry of Information censored a session of the ANteve program because the government guests were unable to answer questions concerning the monopoly of national films. During the debate, Dewabrata, the Ministry of Information's director general of radio, television and film, and Johan Tjasmadi, chairman of the National Development Film Board (BPPN), were unable to give satisfactory answers to questions and statements by chairman of the arts council Salim Said and a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party Sophan Sophian. But the program itself was not banned. It continues to be broadcast at the end of each month and is hosted by Fahmi Idris, the current minister of manpower.
The New Order government allowed an open dialog program featuring representatives from opposition parties and members of the public during the election campaign of 1997. However, the program was no more than a political chit-chat. The forum was prearranged so as not to discredit any election contenders or damage the government's dignity.
The last minister of information in the New Order government, Muhammad Alwi Dahlan, an expert in communications, continued to hinder the free flow of information on television. One method was the compulsory relay by all private TV stations of TVRI news at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day, starting May 16, 1998, following the bold reports on the May riots by private news programs.
In the reform era, no form of intervention or censorship is popular. Although private TV stations are compelled to join the TV Pool (coverage of all kinds of state ceremonies and government news relayed from TVRI every night at 9 p.m.), station managers keep hoping that information minister Muhammad Yunus will create a freer news environment, without any conditions attached.
The writer works with a private television station.