Status quo forces exploiting press freedom: Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): Forces loyal to former president Soeharto are fighting against political reforms through the media that they control, President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Wednesday.

In spite of his accusations, made at a seminar on the ethics of journalism, the President ruled out controlling the press the way Soeharto often did.

"Parties defending the (political) status quo are using every means to prevent change. They do this by buying up shares and taking control of media institutions," said Gus Dur, as the President is popularly called.

"Their presence is clearly felt," said the President, increasingly the target of media criticism.

Status quo is the popular term for forces opposing political reforms, often those associated with the Soeharto regime.

Although falling short of naming the parties or the media, he said the media involved are distorting facts, concealing positive achievements and giving undue attention to the negative aspects of his administration.

"They make it look like my administration is about to fall apart," he said.

All the five commercial TV stations are owned or partly owned by children and cronies of Soeharto. They also control some newspapers and magazines.

The President criticized the press in general for their failure to uphold the foremost principle in the journalists' code of ethics: accuracy.

He said he too had been a victim of journalists' getting their facts wrong, but added that this was caused largely by the poor skill of journalists rather than some hidden agenda.

"Accuracy has to do with skill. Without skill, you get all kinds of funny reports," he said.

Gus Dur said the government has no intention of bringing the press back under its control, describing the press as the "fourth estate" in a democracy.

The government will not establish a new institution to regulate or monitor the press to replace the information ministry which he abolished in October, he said.

"We leave it to the press and society to interact with one another to ensure a healthy press," he said.

The President stressed the need for the media to adhere to their code of ethics and conduct, even more so as they enjoy the freedom now guaranteed by law.

"Without ethics, the press becomes dictatorial," he said.

The one-day conference was jointly organized by the Independent Journalist Foundation (YJI) and the Press Council. The speakers included top media workers and scholars from Indonesia and neighboring countries.

Conspicuously missing were representatives of the public although speaker after speaker acknowledged the rampant violation of ethics by the media in Indonesia.

YJI chairman Roy T. Pakpahan described freedom as a "two-edged sword", giving journalists real freedom, but at the same time requiring them to exercise responsibility.

Out of this freedom has come "interpretative journalism" whereby the media has produced stories not entirely based on facts but on facts mixed with opinions, he said.

The Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) has a code of ethics which many journalists are expected to observe. Last year, 26 media professional organizations drew up a seven-point Journalists' Code of Ethics which also seeks to stamp out reckless behavior and corruption, including the practice of media workers accepting envelopes and bribery.

The Press Council has also been strengthened over the past year to deal with rising public complaints about the Indonesian media abusing its freedom.

Jim Carden of Deakin University in Melbourne, likened the responsibility of journalists to the obligations a car owner must meet in using the vehicle.

While both enjoy freedom, they are subject to rules and codes of conduct, he said.

Speaking on the Thai experience, Bangkok Post editor Pichai Chuensuksawadi stressed the role of society, more than press laws, codes of ethics or press councils, in ensuring that the media lived up to its responsibility.

No amount of laws or regulations will stop journalists from behaving recklessly, he said.

"Journalists' responsibilities comes from here, the heart. The same with ethics, they come from the heart," Pichai said. (emb/dja)