Public warned of co-opted press
Public warned of co-opted press
JAKARTA (JP): Three prominent Indonesian scholars are warning
the public to beware of passively accepting everything they read
in news publications because some of them may have been co-opted
by vested interests.
"To all members of society, we appeal that you be more
critical towards the institution of the press, so that you may
distinguish between the press media which have been co-opted by
the system imposed by those in power and the press which truly
seeks to build as a public institution," Umar Kayam, Ishadi
Siregar and Emha Ainun Najib said in a joint statement
distributed to the press.
The statement, entitled End of the Year 1994 Statement on the
State of the Culture, was initially presented to the public at
the Senisono Art Center in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.
It said that as far as cultural development goes, 1994 has
been worse than earlier years.
The three men are known for their critical approaches to the
government. Umar is an expert on literature, Ashadi is an expert
in communication and Emha is a writer and poet.
To illustrate their point on the development of the press,
they pointed out the closure of three weekly magazines in June
this year. They view the banning as an attempt to bring the press
under absolute control.
"The banning, whatever reasons may have been given, terminated
the rights of the people to take part in political life," they
said.
They charged that the government's efforts to control the
press have brought people into a situation colored by "the
culture of injustice" in information and communication.
"The opportunities to create and develop the institution of
information is in the hands of a few people who gain special
rights from the power holders," they said. "There is inequality
in the way information is dispersed."
They urged publications to make every effort to become
information institutions that treat and serve the public as if
they have the right to fair information.
They warned journalists not to let the press become a
subordinate of the powers that be.
They called on the government to show serious commitment to
supporting the fair distribution of information by respecting the
right of people to establish press institutions. (sim)