23-5-2024 (JAKARTA) Indonesia’s parliament is considering revisions to the nation’s broadcast law that have sparked outrage from civil society groups, filmmakers, and journalists. The proposed changes would ban investigative journalism and LGBT content, raising concerns over the potential erosion of press freedom and creative expression in the world’s third-largest democracy.
The draft bill, initially discussed in 2020, has faced mounting criticism as the details of the latest revisions have been revealed. Indonesia’s Press Council has warned that the proposed amendments would undermine media independence, directly contradicting the country’s press law, which prohibits censorship or banning of journalism.
“The impact on press freedom is very serious,” said Arif Zulkifli, head of the council’s law and legislation division. “Indonesia’s press law says there must not be any censorship or banning of journalism. So this is contradictory.”
While the government has yet to receive the draft bill, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi acknowledged that the revisions must not muzzle media freedom. However, journalism and civil society organizations have expressed grave concerns, fearing that the proposed curbs on investigative reporting could harm hard-won liberties since Indonesia emerged from decades of authoritarian rule in 1998.
The bill does not provide specific details on the proposed ban on investigative reporting or how it might be implemented, but journalist groups have raised concerns about potential censorship. “It will mean that we as journalists will no longer be able to reveal important stories, such as on corruption, nepotism, and environmental crimes,” said Bayu Wardhana, head of the association of independent journalists.
Ninik Rahayu, the chair of Indonesia’s Press Council, echoed these sentiments, stating, “If the bill is implemented, there will be no press independence.” She also criticized the drafting process, noting that the council had not been consulted.
The bill has also drawn criticism for seeking to ban content displaying violence, mysticism, LGBT themes, or “negative behaviour or lifestyles that potentially harm the public.” Prominent filmmaker Joko Anwar slammed the proposal, describing it as “dangerous” and “impossible” to implement, arguing that it would impede creativity, undermine press freedom, and underestimate the public’s ability to filter what they watch.
Legislators from commission 1, which is overseeing the bill, have stressed that the revisions are in the initial phases and subject to change. “We don’t want to give the impression that we are homophobic, and monitor excessively,” said Nico Siahaan, a commission 1 member, adding that the law would be strongly debated.
Homosexuality remains a taboo subject in Indonesia, one of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nations, where it is illegal in the sharia-ruled Aceh province. If passed, the changes would apply to all content broadcast in Indonesia, including online streaming platforms.
The proposed amendments to the broadcast law are part of a series of controversial legal revisions being deliberated by the Indonesian parliament in recent weeks, including changes to the constitutional court law that would grant the government greater power to remove sitting judges.
