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