Moves to curtail press freedoms
Title -- 3756 FIJI: Headline in here
Date -- 4 September 2002
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- ABC Asia-Pacific, via John M. Miller, fbp@igc.org, 3/9/2
Copyright -- ABC
Status -- Unabridged
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MOVES TO CURTAIL INDONESIAN PRESS FREEDOMS
In Indonesia, freedom of the press is under the spotlight with
controversial plans by the government to prevent the rebroadcast of certain
foreign programs on local media. Opponents say its a crude attempt at
censorship. If the legislation gets through parliament later this month,
it'll directly impact on news services from the BBC, Voice of America and
Radio Australia.
[Listen] www.abc.net.au/ra/asiapac/programs/m457303.asx
Presenter/Interviewer: Claudette Werden
Speakers: Abdullah Alamudi Lecturer, Dr Soetomo Press Institute; Widyatyana
Merati, Chair of Government Interdepartment Formulating Committee; Jean
Gabriel Manguy, head of Radio Australia
WERDEN: According to Abdullah Alamudi, Senior lecturer at the Dr Soetomo
Press Institute in Jakarta, the new broadcasting bill is a case of deja vu
with Indonesian President, Megawati Sukarnoputri following in the footsteps
of her late father.
ALAMUDI: I feel very, very, very bad, I feel terrible because this decision
if it is passed, if the bill is passed as it is, it turns back the clock
some 40 years back, to 1964 when President Sukarno banned Indonesians from
listening to radio broadcasts from outside Indonesia during that time,
during the height of confrontation with Malaysia.
WERDEN: The controversial broadcasting bill to be tabled in parliament on
September 29th, limits the replay of regular foreign programs on local
television and radio with the exception of certain sports and some
international events.
For Radio Australia, the international arm of the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation the direct impact of the new law would mean the cancellation of
relay broadcasts to 24 local affiliates in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government says the move is designed to prevent local media
outlets from being manipulated by foreign media. Chair of the committee
tasked with drafting the law, Professor Widyatyana Merati
WIDYATYANA: Not just only the news, we also have the other programs like
MTV, we don't have our broadcaster, to broadcast the foreign continuously
like that.
WERDEN: So how will it effect the broadcasting of say for example the ABC.
WIDYATYANA: You can still have your listener, because your radio we can
catch you in Indonesia very clearly, you don't have to worry about your
going to lose your listener in my opinion your broadcasting emission in
Indonesia is very clear, you don't have to use our broadcaster to relay
your emission.
WERDEN: Head of the ABC's Radio Australia Jean Gabriel Manguy.
MANGUY : Well its a bit hard to believe, what is showing in audience
surveys we have access to is that the majority of Indonesians still get
their information, entertainment and so on through local outlets and the
majority of programming is produced locally, obviously there is some coming
from outside, I dont think it can be considered a threat.
WERDEN: Critics point out the proposed new media laws contravene the
country's exisiting Press Laws which states there should be no censorship,
closing down or banning of broadcasts from the national press.
And they argue the government's attempt to curb press freedom will lead to
an unhealthy reliance on the government as the official source of information
ALAMUDI: There's definitely a danger because that means we only listen to,
our window or gate for information is closed down, how can I know whats
happening in Afghanistan, Middle East or in Australia, if I can not listen
to your broadcast, I cannot listen to the BBC, the ABC, I cannot listen to
Voice of America, I cannot watch CNN.
WERDEN: Why do you think the government has chosen to go down this path.
ALAMUDI: The government is afraid of freedom of the press because ever
since Megawati came into power, ever since the fall of Suharto, immediately
the press was given its freedom back and ever since then, criticism
everyday, statements by experts of the performance of the government, non
performance of the government and criticism of the economy its all there
and the government is not happy with that.
WERDEN: But this law only bans the replay of foreign media so there is
nothing to prevent you from continuing to report those kind of things
internally is there?
Now listen tell me which media here in Indonesia that publish or broadcast
reports on illegal logging, your tv, and the BBC and CNN carry this kind of
programs so Indonesians know who is doing what, which local organisations
publish reports in detail about the smuggling of sand to be exported to
Singapore and damaging our coral.
WERDEN: Local media is also concerned about another key component of the
law which would allow the governnent to appoint civil servants to each
media outlet to supervise material being broadcast..it is they say another
form of censorship.
ALAMUDI: You know these kind of secret service supervisors going back to
the communist system of Soviet Union where you have this political commisar
in every organisation in every walk of life.
3/9/2002
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