The specter of Internet

The apprehension, expressed over the weekend by Jonathan L. Parapak, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, over the possible negative impacts of Internet surely surprises no one. It is well enough known that many governments all over Asia are at present watching the rapid growth of this global computer information network with a mixture of hopeful expectation and apprehension.

In what could probably be safely described as a representation of the feelings of governments in countries which seek to maintain stability through strict control of information, Parapak said that while Internet is admittedly an unavoidable consequence of globalization in the information sector and while it unquestionably benefits its users by providing access to information from all over the world in fields such as science and technology, education and sociology, it could also easily be used by "irresponsible people" to slip in "misleading" information which could be very harmful.

In other words, the presence of Internet is placing a dilemma before governments in many countries -- and not only in Asia. On the one hand, to Asian countries struggling to move up into the ranks of the prosperous industrialized countries of the world, the network is a heaven-sent instrument that could help speed up development by linking up with the global information super highway. On the other hand, it is feared that the kind of "misleading information" of which Jonathan Parapak was speaking could all too easily upset the precious national stability which has for so many years helped to ensure uninterrupted development.

With the rapid inroads which Internet is now making into the developing countries of the world, it is not difficult to visualize the time, not so far away, when governments in many developing countries will see themselves forced to rethink many of the policies they have been following in the past few decades.

True, in several countries efforts are being made by governments to control the content of the information that can be moved, at least locally, over the Internet. In Singapore, for instance, the government has warned that legal action could be taken against people using Internet to transmit seditious or pornographic material. China reportedly intends to restrict access to the network by setting high fees. Yet, the number of users has continued to grow.

It is estimated that about 200,000 computers in Asia are at present connected to Internet. Moreover, although institutions, such as universities, colleges and businesses and government offices, are still the biggest users, more and more individuals can be expected to join the network in the near future as countries continue to prosper.

Thus, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is no way to stem the tide of globalization. It seems that the only way to avoid getting caught up in it is to shut oneself off from the rest of the world. But the ramifications are obvious. Shutting oneself off will mean being left behind to accept the consequences of being a comparatively backward country in an increasingly sophisticated world.

It may sound like a cliche, but the only conclusion to be drawn from all this is that, for us in Indonesia, now is the time to raise ourselves up to a level of social and political maturity at which we will no longer have to worry about a breakdown of our national stability because of the kind of information that we receive. The time is not far off that we will no longer be able to go on hiding information which we consider detrimental to our stability.