Yunus unafraid of abuse of press freedom

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus does not share the fears of some of his colleagues about the behavior of the Indonesian press in acting on their newfound freedom.

"Some people are concerned about press freedom. I'm not one of them," Yunus, whose job includes overseeing the broadcast and print media, was quoted by Antara as saying on Friday.

He was speaking after signing a cooperation agreement with National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi in dealing with crime in the press, television and film industry.

Many government officials, including President B.J. Habibie, have expressed concern that members of the press are abusing their freedom and exacerbating the economic and political crisis.

Yunus, an Army lieutenant general, admitted law enforcement in the print and broadcast media remained weak, but dismissed the suggestion press freedom could destroy the nation.

"Weak enforcement of laws, however, can destroy a nation," he added.

He promised the government would use legal channels in dealing with press establishments which overstepped the legal boundaries.

He recalled that in the previous administration of president Soeharto, the government wielded the power to close down a newspaper or magazine by revoking its publishing license.

This policy no longer existed, he said. "Ours is not a state based on power. Any problem, including those in the mass media sector, should be settled by legal means."

All laws regulating the three industries were enacted during the repressive Soeharto regime. The Indonesian press is regulated by a 1982 law, the broadcasting industry by a 1997 law and the film industry by a 1992 law.

The government and the House of Representatives are working on changing the laws, and will likely come up with a single piece of legislation regulating the printing and broadcasting media.

One of Yunus' first acts upon taking charge of the information ministry in May was to revoke the controversial ministerial regulation empowering his predecessors to rescind publishing licenses of newspapers and magazines.

Yunus also simplified the formerly involved process to obtain press licenses; his office has since issued more than 200 licenses for new magazines and newspapers.

In the wake of greater freedom, officials have been alarmed by some of the new tabloids which have exploited scandals in high places, often accompanied by sensational banner headlines. (emb)