TV, radio stations renew attacks on broadcasting bill
TV, radio stations renew attacks on broadcasting bill
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Media organizations and radio and television operators took
further steps to consolidate their objections to the broadcasting
bill on Tuesday, demanding substantial changes to it before it is
passed into law.
Speaking at a seminar on the much-criticized bill here, they
urged the House of Representatives to address contentious issues
in the bill.
The critics said they particularly objected to the
government's control of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission
(KPI), which they said may emulate the role of the Press Council
(under Soeharto) in curbing press freedom.
R. H. Siregar, deputy chairman of the current Press Council,
said there are at least 10 provisions in the broadcasting bill
that clearly show the government's intended intervention in KPI'
affairs.
"If these articles are not scrapped or revised, the KPI will
merely serve as an extended hand of the government like the
Press Council (under Soeharto) because the commission will have
no power to take any decision without the approval of the
government," he said.
Siregar added that the key problem lay in Article 61, under
which all decisions issued by the KPI must be "accommodated" in
government decrees.
Ja'far Assegaff from Metro TV concurred, saying government
intervention in the commission must be avoided if the House and
the government want to the bill to be accepted.
"I agree with the establishment of the KPI if it resembles
America's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which is
independent. The KPI must be comprised of credible and non-
partisan members," he said.
All other speakers at the seminar organized by the current
Press Council shared a similar view.
Zainal Abidin Suryokusumo, another member of the Press
Council, said information was a "public affair" and the
government was not allowed to interfere, citing the amended 1945
Constitution as a reference.
Similarly, coordinator of the Indonesian Press and
Broadcasting Society (MPPI) Leo Batubara demanded that provisions
that permit government intervention and "repressive and fascist
articles" in the bill be scrapped to maintain the press freedom
that Indonesia has begun to enjoy since the fall of president
Soeharto in 1998.
"The MPPI will not accept the broadcasting bill if these
articles remain unchanged," added Leo, one of its staunchest
critics.
Assegaff urged the Press Council to be more proactive in
advocating crucial changes to the bill by submitting a
"memorandum" to the House against the bill.
"If there are no substantial revisions we should call for the
bill to be shelved for at least one year to allow time for its
redrafting," he added.
Lukas Luwarso, executive director of the Press Council, said
his agency would soon issue such a "memorandum", which contains
inputs from Tuesday's seminar, in order to put more pressure on
the House to comply with the public's demands.
In an addition to this, Riza Primadi of Trans TV called for a
"political approach" by intensifying lobbying with legislators
involved in the deliberations.
The House delayed approval of the broadcasting bill scheduled
for Sept. 23 before a long recess of more than one month, and
vowed to pass it into law in November. Despite the pressure,
House members have hinted at refusing to make crucial changes to
the bill.
M. Ridlo Eisy, a senior MPPI member, said that apart from the
government intervention, the KPI's authority should also be
limited to preserve press freedom.
He was referring to Article 8 of the bill that states that the
KPI determines the quality, classification and content of radio
and television programs.