'TVRI' will not broadcast House debates live

JAKARTA (JP): The state-owned television station TVRI said yesterday it would not broadcast live the House of Representatives' hearing with Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad today, citing "security and technical reasons".

TVRI's director, Azis Husein, told a hearing with the House Commission I for security, defense and information affairs yesterday that the station would record the Commission VIII for finance and state budget session and broadcast it at 9.30 p.m. after editing.

The hearing on the country's current economic situation is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Such sessions are usually open to the public.

Azis told the House legislators that all the five private TV stations would relay the program, but did not explain the reason for the delayed broadcast. He later told reporters that technical and security reasons were behind the decision not to air Mar'ie's session live.

He said today's House hearing with Mar'ie is considered critical in terms of security and needed editing to ensure that the public would receive only the right information.

"Perhaps the public will misunderstand (the information) and we have to avoid this from happening," he said.

Top representatives of the private TV stations who attended the hearing said their stations were prepared to relay the delayed broadcast of the hearing.

"We are under the supervision of the Ministry of Information, so we have to comply with its call," said Agus Mulianto, director of the Surabaya-based SCTV.

Azis said a TVRI live broadcast in the morning was technically impossible because all of its transmitters would be used by private station TPI at the time.

The state-owned TV station starts its daily programs at 2.00 p.m. TPI, which is owned by President's Soeharto eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, leases TVRI transmitters nationwide from 5.30 a.m.

In the past, TVRI has always broadcast state ceremonies, such as Independence Day, which took place in the morning.

The government banned SCTV and ANteve from broadcasting live Mar'ie's explanation about the national economic reform package before a plenary House meeting on Nov. 10. Minister of Information R. Hartono said only TVRI could broadcast the session live upon his order.

Debate on the controversial ban was the focus of yesterday's House session presided over by Aminullah Ibrahim of the Armed Forces faction.

In a gesture of support for the ban, Golkar legislator Amir Sirait said that the House should obtain all information from Mar'ie before the public does.

ANTeve's editor-in-chief, Azkarmin Zaini, urged the government to set up regulations on live broadcasting.

"We cannot say whether the procedures (cited by the minister about the live coverage) were correct or wrong. The Broadcasting Law itself doesn't have a clear stipulation (on live broadcasting). The government should clarify it in a decree or other forms of regulations," he said.

United Development Party legislator, Ghazali Abbas Adan, lamented TVRI's decision, saying that the delayed broadcast would prevent the public from knowing how the House members carry out their duties.

"We are said to be an institution which is irresponsive toward the public's aspirations because they don't know how dynamic our dialog actually is with the government during a hearing," he said.

Mass communications expert Eduard Depari, also RCTI's spokesman, said TVRI's decision restricted the public's right to know.

"It reveals a setback in the government's promotion of transparency. How can we compete with other countries if we lack transparency?" he said. (09/amd)