The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Press Council have questioned proposed revisions to the Press Law under the omnibus expense on job production.
The AJI and Press Council stated they were opposed to specific revisions that were currently under proposition for the expense, including fines and administrative sanctions for press business.
In a Legislature Legislation Body (Baleg) meeting on Thursday, AJI chairman Abdul Manan said that there was no seriousness to impose larger fines for press companies.
” What is the seriousness of increasing fines approximately 400 percent? What does the federal government desire? Fines and sanctions ought to be distributed as a way to educate journalism, not to make them bankrupt,” he said.
Among the laws that the costs seeks to change is Article 18 of Law No. 40/1999 on the press, which would increase fines for anybody who prevents the capability of the press to easily seek, acquire or share info. It would also fine press companies that do not adhere to religious norms, morality or the presumption of innocence in reporting– or those that do not serve the right of reply.
According to the omnibus expense, any offense of the arrangement will lead to a fine of as much as Rp 2 billion (US$141,920), a boost 4 times higher than the previous fine of Rp 500,000
Abdul said press companies would have a hard time to pay such a big amount as the minimum authorized amount of capital to begin a press business as specified by law was just Rp 50 million.
” We might think of if such [small] business are needed to pay such a big quantity of fines. It looks like the fine is not aimed to inform but to obliterate [press companies],” he said.
Abdul likewise expressed issues over offering the federal government the authority to impose administrative sanctions on press business, saying it would contradict the “self-regulatory” principle of press laws.
” In the brand-new order routine era, the federal government imposed administrative sanctions for press companies by withdrawing their organisation permits, making it so that they were unable to print. […] So returning the authority to enforce sanctions to the federal government is a downside to our press laws. It would also be difficult to guarantee that the government guidelines fall in line with the requirements and goals of the press,” he said.
The proposed revisions to Article 18 would also impose administrative sanctions on any media business that stopped working to get proper legal documents or to openly list its address and individuals in charge of the organization.
The specific administrative sanctions are to be laid out in subsequent government regulations (PPs). Under dominating policies, such a violation brings a potential Rp 100 million fine.
Head of journalism Council Agung Dharmajaya said the government did not include the press in building the proposed modifications. He likewise recommended that the House drop the revisions.
” We suggested that the House drop any proposed revisions in the omnibus costs on task production, which would control the press,” Agung said.
