The fall of Indonesia's authoritarian regime bred optimism while simultaneously spreading anxiety. With the elimination of government control, it was feared that unrestrained media freedoms would lead to anarchy. The most obvious change in the media since the fall of the Suharto regime has been the shift from reporting the monotonous drone of the government line to the cacophony of discordant voices from the government, civil society, academic experts and others.
For more than 30 years under the Suharto regime the Indonesian press was oppressed and professionally unorganized. Over the past three years, hundreds of new publications have emerged and hordes of journalists have hit the streets in search of news. However, as some of these publications went bankrupt within just a few months, many journalists joined the ranks of the unemployed. In May 1998, around 260 publications were in operation, with the number swelling to nearly 1,400 by the end of 1999, but the number has since dropped to around 460. As Indonesia struggles during this transitional period towards democracy, the press finds itself learning to practise its new freedoms, learning to be responsible.
Nowadays, media reports are uncensored and publications are no longer threatened with closure. The press publishes whatever it likes, sometimes even pornography. Discretion and respect for privacy have given way to the business imperatives and political leanings of the media owners.
Some people in Indonesia now reminisce about the beautiful world of Suharto's New Order regime, when the number of print publications and number of pages in these publications were restricted; even the number of advertisements could be limited by the government! Private radio and television stations were obliged to broadcast reports from the state-run radio and television broadcasts. With the press under control, the Indonesian people rarely became worried or anxious because the facts and reality conveyed by the media were products of the government.
By contrast, this era free of government intervention has left the press open and vulnerable. The media no longer forces society to swallow prescribed nostrums for its ills, nor applies a particular salve to every problem, but has become an ambulance that carries a mess of new problems, including wild reporting and sensationalistic journalism.
Chaos has resulted from the newly permissive environment. News that was once regulated, measured, counted and restrained is now seen as spiraling out of control. Aside from fundamental problems such as the lack of respect for press ethics and lack of professionalism, it is difficult to figure out how many publications are currently in print and how many journalists are working in Indonesia.
With these anxieties in mind, one can understand the desire to return to the "good old days."
It is not uncommon to hear calls for the press to be brought under control again, or for the Ministry of Information to be resuscitated, or for the system of licensing publications to be revived.
Free press panned
"Freedom of the press" in Indonesia has unofficially been condemned as the "freakdom of the press." Consequently, individual journalists and the media industry are often accused by Indonesian society of inciting anger and conflict. The finger pointing has come from politicians and media observers, as well from as the general public. However, this anger directed at the press is often not because of the news content, but is a manifestation of the anger and frustration many feel when confronted with the broad spectrum of problems facing Indonesian society. The freedoms that were so hard to obtain, ironically, now threaten some parts of a society that considers the press the enemy because of its influence and power.
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