Media Censorship
3 February, 2006
It has been long known and widely acknowledged that the Indonesian Government censored its own internal media. Indonesian newspapers had to tread a fine line or face being banned.
This was offset to some degree by the distribution of foreign newspapers and other publications.
When it came to the electronic media (Radio and Television) news stories were relayed and ofter rebroadcast within Indonesia. Well mot anymore.
See the article below from Pacific Media Watch.
NEWS FROM FOREIGN BROADCASTERS CANNOT BE AIRED LIVELY
JAKARTA (AP/Pacific Media Watch): Indonesia next month will begin enforcing a law that bans local broadcasters from relaying live news packages provided by foreign stations like the British Broadcasting Corp.and Voice of America, Minister of Communications Sofyan Djalil said Monday.
The law was protested by local media organizations as an attack on press freedom when it was passed last year.
Starting Feb. 5, television and radio stations will no longer be able to broadcast news programs or breaking news direct from foreign stations, according to Sofyan.
Stations will have to first receive the broadcasts, edit them and then rebroadcast from a local relay station, he said. Sofyan said the reason for the law was so that viewers could hold "someone responsible" if the broadcasts were offensive.
He did not say what punishment violators of the law would face. Shortwave programming by the BBC and VOA will be unaffected by the ban, as will broadcasts available over the Internet. Live foreign news can still be broadcast by satellite and cable television providers.
Several local TV and radio stations will likely be affected by the ban, but they were not immediately available for comment. Affected foreign news organizations would include the BBC, VOA, and Deutsche Welle of Germany, among others.
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From Joyo
The Jakarta Post
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Govt pushes ahead with controversial broadcasting rules
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Defying opposition from lawmakers and media groups, the government says it will enforce a new regulation that bans local broadcasters from directly relaying news from foreign TV and radio stations.
"The government regulation will be enforced on Feb. 5 to avoid lawlessness in the broadcasting industry," State Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil said Monday during a meeting with the House of Representatives.
Sofyan said there were more than 1,000 companies waiting for broadcasting licenses, which could not be approved until the regulation was implemented.
Legislators and broadcasting organizations have demanded that the information ministry delay implementing the regulation, pending talks with the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) to discuss possible revisions.
Sofyan said the government was willing to talk to the KPI to revise several articles in the regulation that were deemed controversial.
The regulation will take effect two months after the government first agreed to postpone its implementation, following a meeting with legislators last month.
KPI deputy chairman S. Sinansari Ecip has threatened to file a judicial review with the Supreme Court to stop the regulation becoming policy.
The government ruling is based on the 2002 Broadcasting Law. That law is expected to be revised after protests from the KPI and other critics, who said it was unclear and could have multiple interpretations.
Contentious issues in the regulation include stopping local electronic media from directly relaying news provided by foreign agencies, and an article reviving the information ministry's power to issue broadcasting licenses.
Many radio and TV stations in the country broadcast news and current affairs programs from a range of international sources, including the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Australia, Deutsche Welle of Germany and Radio Hilversum of the Netherlands.
Shortwave programming by BBC and VOA stations will not be affected by the ban, nor will it affect foreign content on satellite news and cable channels or the Internet.
Several legislators and broadcasting associations have criticized the regulation as "repressive", saying it could be misused to curb press freedom in Indonesia.
They say the independent KPI, not the information ministry, should be granted the authority to issue broadcasting licenses.
Dedi Djamaluddin, a legislator from the National Mandate Party, likened the current information ministry to "the past Deppen", the repressive New Order ministry, which often revoked broadcasters and publishers' licenses whe they criticized the government.
"Why doesn't (the minister) talk with the KPI first and finish (the revisions) a month before implementing the controversial regulation? This would be reasonable," he said.
Sofyan, however, said he planned to issue another ministerial decree to allow radio and TV stations to edit foreign programs before they were broadcast.
Officials at Sofyan's office said the KPI should not be given the power to license broadcasters because they didn't want the independent commission "to become the next "Deppen".
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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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With Modern Shortwave radios, Salellite Television and the Internet media censorship simply does not work. In the modern world you cannot prop up your corrupt Government, your corrupt Military, your corrupt Secret Service (BIN), your corrupt Police, your corrupt Judges and your corrupt Elite with media censorship. It simply will not work.
If you shove the barrel of a rifle in someone's face or torture them you may get compliance for a while but individuals remember these actions and the memory does not fade. Eventually enough of the population has had enough and the whole system disintegrates. With inflation running at 17% when the world economy is relatively boyant, it will only take a slight world downturn to send the Indonesian economy into complete collapse.
Indonesia is recognized as the most corrupt country in Asia and is high up on the list as the most corrupt in the world.
See our heading on Indonesian corruption.
The WPNGNC believes that Indonesia is almost ready to fall apart, a disaster waiting to happen. Media censorship brings it one step closer to the precipice.
Governments in such a situation usually rely on their Military to keep things in place. The enormous military build up and deployments of elite troops in West Papua is of great concern to the WPNGNC.
THE WPNGNC IS DETERMINED TO GET THE FACTS OF WEST PAPUAN'S PLIGHT TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND THE REAL SITUATION OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TO INSIDE WEST PAPUA AND INDONESIA, NO MATTER WHAT MEDIA CENSORSHIP IS DEPLOYED.
Contact Information
e-mail: wpngnc@optusnet.com.au