|
|
|
JAKARTA - Most Indonesians will not be able to watch the coverage of inter-ethnic clashes like those in Central Kalimantan on their television screen under a new broadcast Bill being considered by the government. The Bill, which is being deliberated in Parliament, forbids television and radio stations from broadcasting content which could incite ethnic, religious or racial conflicts Its ambiguous phrasing has caused anxieties among many in the television business. They are worried that the coverage of violent ethnic or sectarian riots in Indonesia would once again become off-limits as in the repressed decades under former president Suharto. 'I'm afraid that even covering the conflicts between the Christian and Muslims in Maluku will be considered a crime,' Mr Karni Ilyas of the Surya Citra Television said. According to the draft Bill, violators face a maximum five years' jail and a fine of 20 billion rupiah (S$3.8 million). The stations may also lose their broadcasting licences. Proprietors of Indonesian television stations are urging Parliament to revise the Bill, which they say is a threat to press freedom and a setback to the growth of the broadcasting industry here. 'Its content will stifle the press freedom and the freedom to create, and it may endanger the existence of the broadcasting industry in Indonesia,' said Mr Anton A. Nangoy, chairman of the Indonesian Television Broadcasting Association (ATVSI). The Indonesian media has been enjoying a surge of press freedom following Mr Suharto's fall in 1998. Another factor much criticised by media groups is the clause on the establishment of an independent supervisory and advisory body, the Indonesian Broadcast Commission. ATVSI said the new body might become too powerful like the now-dissolved Information Ministry. The ministry was an effective tool to muzzle the press under Mr Suharto. Furthermore, in a bid to prevent monopoly, the new Bill will make cross-ownership of media enterprises illegal..
|
