Restrict foreign broadcasts

Restrict foreign broadcasts

The government is expected to submit a draft law on
broadcasting to the House of Representatives, hopefully this
year. This means that the draft will be passed into law next year
at the earliest.

One reality is already right before our eyes. Communication
technology is advancing with such speed that Indonesia is already
finding itself moving in the lane of modern world mass
communication, with all the risks involved.

In the face of this movement, society is reminded of something
which seems to have been more or less overlooked: Allowing too
much freedom in modern electronic broadcasts will do us much
harm.

If the law on broadcasts is to involve imposing restrictions,
it would be a good thing if such restrictions were imposed not
only on a national scale. Things that come from the outside
should also be restricted. If a number of our neighbors can
protect their people from the onslaught, why not us?

-- Republika, Jakarta