Changes to the 2002 Broadcasting Act were first discussed in 2020, but details included in the most recent changes have raised concerns, with Indonesia’s press council saying it will undermine media independence.
“The impact on press freedom could be very serious,” said Arif Zulkifli, head of the council’s law and legislative department. “Indonesian press law states that there can be no censorship or prohibition of journalism. So it’s contradictory.”
The government has not yet received the draft law, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said, adding that the amendments must not restrict media freedom.
Planned restrictions on journalism on the planet’s third-largest democracy would harm free speech and hard-won freedoms since Indonesia emerged from a long time of authoritarian rule in 1998, journalism and civil society groups say.
The bill doesn’t provide details on the proposed ban on investigative reporting or how it would work, but journalists’ groups have raised concerns about censorship.
“This will mean that we journalists will no longer be able to break important stories such as corruption, nepotism and environmental crimes,” said Bayu Wardhana, head of the Association of Independent Journalists.
“If the law is implemented, there will be no press independence,” said Ninik Rahayu, chairman of the Indonesian Press Council, adding that she was not consulted while drafting the bill.
The bill has also faced criticism since it goals to ban content depicting violence, mysticism, LGBT or “negative behaviors or lifestyles that potentially harm society.”
Eminent director Joko Anwar has slammed the proposal, calling it “dangerous” and “unimaginable” to implement.
“Banning such content not only hinders the creativity of creative industries and freedom of the press, but also undermines people’s ability to filter what they watch,” he said.
Lawmakers on Committee 1, which is overseeing the bill, stressed that amendments to the bill are within the early stages and are subject to alter.
“We don’t need to offer the impression that we’re homophobic and over-monitoring,” said Nico Siahaan, a member of the primary committee, adding that the law could be the topic of fierce debate.
Homosexuality is taboo in Indonesia, considered one of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nations, where it is against the law within the Sharia-ruled Aceh province.
If adopted, the changes will apply to all content broadcast in Indonesia, including online streaming platforms.
In recent weeks, Indonesia’s parliament has been considering a lot of controversial legal changes, including changes to the Constitutional Court Act that may give the federal government greater powers to dismiss judges.
