Irfan Amin, Fransiskus Adryanto Pratama – The Civil Society Coalition together with the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) held a demonstration at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday November 3.
The demonstration was a form of support for Tempo which is being sued in a civil lawsuit by Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman.
As has been reported, the Sulaiman's lawsuit demands that Tempo pay compensation of more than 200 billion rupiah because it is deemed to have damaged his and the Ministry of Agriculture's image and reputation over a Tempo's news report with the cover title Polishing Rotten Rice (Poles-poles Beras Busuk).
AJI General Chairperson Nany Afrida, who participated in the protest, said that disputes over news coverage should be resolved through the mechanisms stipulated under Law Number 40/1999 on the Press. Afrida emphasised that press disputes have two mechanisms: the right of reply or correction and resolution by the Press Council as a mediator.
Afrida said that Sulaiman's 200 billion rupiah lawsuit was actually part of an attempt to silence the press because it didn't go through press mechanisms. "This is an attempt to silence and bankrupt. This is an attempt to shut down Tempo", he said.
Furthermore, Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) Executive Director Mustafa Layong considers the lawsuit, which is demanding 200 billion rupiah in immaterial damages, unreasonable. He argued that Sulaiman, as a minister, government official and presidential aide, has no legal basis to file a lawsuit against a media outlet that performs its role of monitoring and criticising government policy.
"Based on Constitutional Court ruling 105/PUU-XXII-2024, defamation charges can only be filed against individuals, not government agencies or institutions. Sadly, the plaintiff is clearly the Minister of Agriculture, who should be pursuing his obligations to fulfil the public's rights, including the right to information", said Layong.
Separately, Tempo editor-in-chief Setri Yasra expressed his appreciation for the solidarity action held by various parties as form of moral support for Tempo. Yasra lamented Minster Sulaiman's actions which he believes show a lack of understanding of the Press Law.
"Once he uses legal mechanisms through the courts, not only will press freedom be threatened, but there's also the fear of a new style of censorship spreading" said Yasra.
As the person responsible for all forms of Tempo's reporting, Yasra acknowledged that his team is not immune to mistakes. However, he reiterated that issues concerning news products should be resolved at the Press Council.
"I think Indonesia has made progress in the treatment of the press in the democratic era, with the existence of the Press Council. That's where press disputes should be resolved. It's also where the media learns to be mature and responsible", he said.
Yasra also emphasised that his team still respects Sulaiman's legal efforts in court. However, he reiterated that an authoritarian resolution of press disputes only sets a bad precedent for the future.
"The public has the right to know how to resolve press disputes in a civilised manner in a democratic era", said Yasra.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Gelar Demo Dukung Tempo Lawan Gugatan Mentan Amran".]
Source: https://tirto.id/koalisi-sipil-gelar-demo-dukung-tempo-lawan-gugatan-mentan-amran-hkXB
