Publishers pledge to prevent further bans on news media

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Newspaper publishers yesterday pledged to make an all-out effort to prevent further government bans against newspapers and magazines by enhancing communication among themselves.

This was one of the outcomes of the congress of the Association of Newspaper Publishers (SPS) here yesterday which was convened on the heels of the government's recent decision to revoke the publishing licenses of Tempo, DeTIK and Editor news magazines.

Outgoing SPS chairman Handjojo Nitimihardjo told reporters yesterday that the press industry must take care of itself in the future, namely through enhanced communication among the various newspapers and magazines.

"We've got to remind one another about the possible pitfalls and avoid outcomes which none of us want," Handjojo said referring to the bans of the three magazines.

The association had urged the government to allow the three magazines to reappear immediately after the bans were publicly announced on June 21.

Earlier in the day, the SPS conference received a delegation from a group calling themselves the "Solidarity of Independent Journalists" who expressed their concern about the bans.

The solidarity group, which now claims more than 370 members, urged the SPS to ensure that in the future the government is not able to close newspapers or magazines at will.

They said newspapers should be regulated in the same more transparent manner that investments are supervised by the government.

The conference yesterday elected new leaders of the executive board: Sugeng Wijaya as chairman, F.L. Batubara as Secretary General, Jacob Oetama as chairman of the advisory council and L.E. Manuhua as chairman of the honorary council.

The association urged the government to take steps to reduce the price of newsprint, saying that the rates in Indonesia are among the highest in the world.

Handjojo pointed out that newsprint in Indonesia is controlled by only two suppliers while imports are subject to a hefty 55 percent tariff.

Ratio

The association pointed out that the ratio of newspaper to citizen in the country is 1 to 40, one of the lowest in Southeast Asia, putting Indonesia on par with Bangladesh.

The association agreed to postpone the introduction of remote printing, a system that allows newspapers to be printed in different cities at the same time, because of fears that it might jeopardize the existence of smaller regional papers.

The association said that it would first make sure that every province in Indonesia has a newspaper. At present Southeast Sulawesi, Bengkulu and West Nusa Tenggara do not have their own papers.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information Harmoko last night publishers to make the necessary adjustments so that they can play their role in the national development more effectively.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the SPS congress, Harmoko said the environment in which the domestic press is now operating has changed drastically, thus necessitating some adjustments, according to a statement issued by his office in Jakarta.

He cited as an example the globalization of the information and communication sectors, which could affect the national stability, and in turn affect the national development program.

Recent major technological developments have permitted an increased penetration of information, both positive and negative, from the outside world to Indonesia.

The press must also take into account that society is becoming more critical as a logical consequence of the development.

Harmoko complimented the press industry on its ability to adopt new technology, as reflected by improvements in print quality, layout presentation, the use of color, distribution as well as long-distance printing which is set to be introduced by the larger newspapers to ensure a greater reach.

However, the introduction of sophisticated new technology must be accompanied by improvements in human resources that will still determine the outcome of the products, he said.

The management and the editorial boards of newspapers must posses both creative and critical powers, not only in managing the technology, but also in comprehending the various regulations and legislations, he said. (11/emb/09)