Veterans reflect on ups and downs of press freedom

By Johannes Simbolon

JAKARTA (JP): Possibly nothing reflects a modern nation's freedom of speech better than the extent to which its press is free.

When talking about freedom of the press in Indonesia, press bans tend to get in the way. Will the Indonesian press be free in the future or continue to live under the threat of bans? Will the press only survive if it becomes the mouth piece of the holders of power?

In the past, brief periods of press freedom were quickly snatched away by those in power, including the Dutch and the Japanese.

"Never throughout its history did this country take care of the freedom of the press," insisted veteran journalist Rosihan Anwar.

Pressure on the press started with the first effort to publish a paper. In 1712, the East Indies Company blocked the plan to set up a paper. Thirty years later, in 1744, the first newspaper, Bataviese Nouvelles, was granted a publication license. It was followed by many others.

The Dutch controlled the press with many regulations, including the printing act of 1854 which obliged all publications to have a license, and the press ordinance of 1931 which entitled the Attorney General to ban papers. Under the 1931 ordinance, however, publications were not required to have a license so if a newspaper was banned one day, it could be republished under another name the following day.

Bans

After Indonesia declared its independence in 1945, the press enjoyed a decade of freedom until Sukarno's Old Order Administration gained power in 1959. Even then, Sukarno at first only temporarily closed papers. Eventually, however, he resorted to definite bans.

In the first days of Soeharto's New Order Administration, the Indonesian press was again free. This fleeting freedom lasted until the government simultaneously closed several papers in 1974 following the student riot called the Malari affair.

Since then, bans have constantly loomed behind the press. The scourge took its toll last year when Tempo, DeTik, and Editor were closed.

"The condition of the Indonesian press now is more miserable than that of murderers. Murderers are sent to trial and can have lawyers defend them. The press is sentenced without any trial and can't even defend itself," said veteran journalist Mochtar Lubis.

Mochtar had his newspaper Indonesia Raya banned several times by the Old Order Administration. He reopened it after Soeharto took power only to have it shut down after the Malari affair.

Today, 50 years after independence, the press suffer a fresh wound, the outlawing of Tempo, DeTik and Editor last year. No wonder pessimism reigns.

"If I am asked whether there will be press freedom in the future, I will say 'never'. Our tradition and history has never known the freedom. If there are people who say the freedom will come in the future, I will say to them 'bullshit'," Rosihan said.

Rosihan's newspaper Pedoman was closed by the New Order Administration (when?).

The press, he said, should be given freedom like artists, the academic world and NGOs so that they can counterbalance the dominance of the bureaucracy.

Freedom

Rosihan insists, however, that the government will never grant press freedom as long as the current power structure continues -- a structure in which the armed forces dominates society. He insists that the public must struggle for it instead. Unfortunately, he said, no segment of our society is capable or willing to fight.

"We are all tempe (slang for low quality) people, subservient, contented, resigned to power. The intellectuals only talk. The NGOs only amuse themselves, ask for funds. The rulers keep suppressing creativity, different opinion," he said.

"I am not apathetic, because apathy is against my religion. But what can I do? I am also a tempe man, like you," asserted Rosihan.

Many people believe, Rosihan added, that the emergence of the middle class will sprout a need for freedom of the press and this need will lead to its achievement.

"But I don't believe it. The middle class in the West demand dependency, freedom and such. The Indonesian middle class are a bunch of no goods. They adhere to bourgeoisie values, do nothing but ask for projects from the government. As such, they become the followers, slaves of the rulers," he lambasted.

Optimistic

Mochtar, who was sent to jail by both the Old Order and New Order administrations, has a different opinion. He is optimistic that the press will achieve the freedom it covets. He does not believe it will be relinquished by the government, but achieved through the struggle of young Indonesians.

"The generation of the 1990s is different from previous ones. They, the civilians and the military members alike, have more exposure to the outside world, are better educated, are bigger in number and are aware that information is very important. Also, they are no less brave than the old generation. They are also not afraid of imprisonment," he said.

"The group of anxious young people will become bigger and bigger and become powerful enough to grab freedom some day. I am optimistic about it," he said.

Mashuri, the minister of information when several papers were banned after the Malari affair in 1974, also shares Mochtar's optimism. However, like Rosihan, he maintains that the struggle will not be easy because Indonesians are inherently weak people.

"Recent events show that some of the younger generation are now more critical. Good. But, we should not forget that Indonesians have naturally weak characters. Our victory in the independence's war in the past was largely due to the three-and-a-half-years of rough treatment and training by the Japanese. They slapped our faces and beat us. Otherwise, I think we would never have gained our independence," he explained.