Maverick Indonesia

Lets support press freedom!

Following protests and complaints from journalists about the proposed amendments to Press Law No. 40 (1999) the Parliament’s Commission I and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh met on Monday and reassured journalists that their freedoms would not be compromised. They also announced that they would consult journalists before proceeding further in the passage of the amendment.

The Press Board member Bambang Harimurti said objections to the amendment after anonymous sources in the Information Ministry sent a copy of the draft amendment to the board, which has yet to decide on its course of action where this is concerned. Another Board member, Leo Batubara, and Indonesian Broadcast Commission Vice Chairman Fetty Fajriati together with the Independent Journalist’s Alliance and the Indonesian Television Journalists Association rejected the amendment, saying that it would only have the effect of pulling the Indonesian media back to the suppressive Old and New Order days.