June 09, 2024

New bill threatens Indonesian press freedom as President Jokowi’s term ends

topic:	Freedom of Expression
located:	Indonesia
editor:	Tonggo Simangunsong

Towards the end of the leadership of President Jokowi, who Prabowo Subianto will replace in October, the Indonesian press is now facing a threat with the introduction of the controversial Broadcasting Bill.

If the bill, a revision of Broadcasting Law 32 of 2002, succeeds, journalists fear that press freedom in Indonesia will return to the New Order. In the era under the President Suharto regime (1966 – 1998), the Indonesian press, as David Hill wrote, was not independent.  

During the New Order, the government banned any press who criticised it and jailed their editors-in-chief. Several media outlets, including Indonesia Raya, TEMPO magazine, Detik and Editor, were banned after investigating corruption in the Indonesian government. 

“The media must be careful about returning to the press ban era like the New Order era,” a media expert from Airlangga University, Irfan Wahyudi, told local media Suara.com.

The fall of the New Order, fought for by civil society, artists, activists and journalists, became the forerunner to a new era of press freedom in Indonesia with the birth of Press Law Number 40 of 1999, which guarantees press freedom in Indonesia. 

Though the law states that “Journalists cannot be hindered in their efforts to obtain information,” it does not guarantee press freedom in Indonesia; criminalisation of the press and intimidation of journalists still occur. According to Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 Press Freedom Index, Indonesia ranks 111th out of 180 countries.

Two articles in the bill give authority to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission to resolve journalistic disputes, specifically in the broadcasting sector. Another prohibits exclusively broadcast journalism.

Press disputes are currently under the authority of the Press Council, which will become state-controlled if the bill passes. 

Meanwhile, banning investigative journalism will undermine the essence of the press, said Yadi Hendriana, chairman of the complaints and ethics enforcement commission at the Press Council, to BenarNews. “Investigative work provides the colour and spirit of journalism because it uncovers new facts through field research,” said Hendriana.

The Press Council and the Indonesian press community in almost all the cities in the country held protests on the streets to reject the bill. Secretary General of the Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Bayu Wardhana, told BenarNews the bill would threaten the freedom of the Indonesian press. “This bill presents problems for journalism, human rights, and media independence.”

Image by Engin Akyurt.

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