Responsibilities of the press

As quoted by the Minister of Information Hartono, President Soeharto harbors the hope that the entire national media continue to be aware of its responsibilities. To judge by the remarks made by Hartono, a certain comforting guarantee is contained in the President's affirmation that the government will never act arbitrarily in deciding to revoke a news publication's license, as long as the media remains genuinely aware of the functions of a free and responsible press.

There is of course no exact measure to gauge that responsibility. The responsibilities of the press are dependent on the situation that exists at any given moment. It is up to the national press to assess its responsibilities toward the nation and country.

We are confident that Soeharto's words regarding the responsibilities of the press will be taken to heart by the press. After all, there isn't one press publication that harbors evil designs toward the nation -- much less wants to impair its unity.

Our hope is that the government will open itself to dialog with the press in order that the two institutions may develop a rewarding partnership and beneficial interaction in attempting to comprehend the development that is taking place in society. With such a channel for dialog, the press will be able to perform its basic function -- which is to provide information to the people and to exert social control -- with the greatest possible efficiency.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta