The journey of Indonesian press has gone through long and vagaries process. The history of our press is closely related with our nation politics and so do economics; so in this paper I would like to describe our press from each period.
Before Independence
•On 1903, one of Indonesian press pioneer, “Medan Prijaji”, is established. This newspaper is the first newspaper which managed by Indonesian native people.
The emerging of this newspaper can be described as the beginning where our nation entered into the political press world. Netherland’s government called it as Inheemsche Pers (Pers Bumiputra). R.M. Tirtoadisuryo as the head of redactor who also called as ‘Nestor Jurnalistik’ realize that newspaper is the most important tool to give vent to society’s aspirations. In addition, he was considered as the pioneer of freedom activist from Indonesian society. Lately, he was appointed as The Father of Indonesian Journalistic by our president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
1945 – 1973: From Defensive Press to Partisan Press
On year 1945, when Republic of Indonesia was first established, there were Press companies which fought for national objective. The phenomenon of Indonesian Republic formation also produced new newspapers.
•On October 1, 1945 Merdeka Daily Newspaper formed; only 44 days after the Independence Proclamation. At that period, newspapers and other publications, was quiet free below the transitional administration which manages power consignation from Netherland to Indonesian Republic.
•On 1949, when Netherland first acknowledge both our independence and existence of Indonesian Republic, there were 75 publications, which can be considered as ‘Press’.
•During decade of 1950, the numbers of print media was increasing constantly because they were used as political parties’ tools as their ideology funnel.
•On 1955, the first general election, there were up to 475 print media.
•On the beginning of 1960s, the amount of publications constantly increased, especially from 1963 – 1966, this was considered as the reflection of political conditions which were getting ‘memanas’.
•Press Industry experience 2 bridles, on 1957 and 1966.
•On 1965, the Ministry of Information issued ‘Surat Keputusan’ which obligated publishers to merged with a political party, mass organization, or communal. This ‘surat keputusan, has made press’ character to be more partisan.
•After the G 30 S/PKI, 43 from 163 existing newspapers were closed by the government. This explained that government power appear again through the constitution No. 11 year 1966 about the Primary Requirement of Press, which have to be followed, otherwise their license will be revoked.
From year 1945 and during 1950s and also 1960s, Indonesian press is considered as political medium. With the fund from political parties and other communal, press in this period is very partisan and in favor of particular side. As a consequence, the press base is an ideology with its dependence towards political party. This era also reflected big government power towards press or other life realm in Indonesia.
1973 – 1990: Depolitization and Commercialism of Press•On 1970s press in Indonesia started to change its forms from ideological means to big industries.
•On 1972, Sendi magazine bridled because it was accused of humiliating the president and family.
•On 1973, Sinar Harapan was not permitted to publish in a week because deemed to slipping the nation’s secret about RAPBN which wasn’t discussed yet in the parliament.
•On 1973, New Order era issued new regulation which forced political parties merge into three parties; Golongan Karya (Golkar), Partai Demokrasi Indonesia (PDI), AND Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP). This regulation had made the relations between political parties and organizations towards press stopped, so that the press didn’t get any funds from political parties. Therefore,the head of redactor had to get funds from advertising.
•On 1974 and 1978, press industry experienced bridles again. After ‘Malari’ chaos on January 1974, 12 newspapers were not permitted to be published and some journalists arrested and some others black-listed.
•On 1978, seven daily newspapers in Jakarta experience shutting down because their reportage was supporting student’s demonstration actions towards New Order. With this bridling, New Order era was starting to become a ‘strong-hand’ towards press. Press leaders admitted that, to keep alive, they had to experience adaptation processes and ‘depolitisasi’, in term of eroding political elements in their published news, except those which were supported by the New Order and its’ policies.
•In the middle 1980s, Pancasila Press officially defined for the first time in the 25th Sidang Pleno Dewan Pers in Solo.
•On 1982, SIT which was issued by Information Department was altered by Surat Izin Usaha Penerbitan Press (SIUPP). If SIUPP of a newspaper revoked, the newspaper automatically closed by the government.
Therefore, as a response to the regulation, press started to do diversification either in press field or companies in other field. Diversification had cause big media group, or media conglomerates, like Kompas-Gramedia Group, Grafiti Press Group, and Sinar Kasih Group. Diversification was also done for the sake of employees’ job security and company’s interests, which brought regional press into the society.
1990 – 1997: Repolitization Era
•On 1990s, Indonesian press started to re-politicized again. It means that before the reformation era and the fall of Soeharto, Indonesian Press started to oppose the government with publishing critical articles about either the New Order people or the policy; although realization wasn’t very clear until the fallen of Suharto and his regime.
•On 1994, three weekly magazines closed: Tempo, DeTIK, and Editor. This bridling showed that, those magazines brook the government’s regulations, because they loaded critiques about it. Yet, SIUPP withdrawal proved that New Order was still powerful.
•On August 7, 1994, some young journalists formed AJI (Asosiasi Jurnalis Indonesia)
•On 1996, one of Bernas journalist, Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, was killed in Yogyakarta, and the perpetrator presumed to be government people, because he was writing article about the result of corruption case in Bantul which then published by Bernas. This case shown that the press started to re-politicized again and had political purpose. However, those cases again showed that government side was stronger than press and free information.
•On 1990 – 1997, years before reformation, Indonesian Press still followed commercial purpose and diversification.
In conclusion, 1990s era were a time for big media groups to strengthen their positions where there were some political issues, in term of opposing government’s policy or people like Bernas, Tempo, DeTik, and Editor.
1997: The Influence Monetary Crisis
There were both negative and positive impacts of monetary crisis towards the Press industry. The negative impact of monetary crisis is the threat to economic stability of press, especially the rapid increasing of newspaper’s paper. Journalists and other employees of Press Company also experience difficulties, like salary’s cut or PHK.
However, those negative impacts were reduced by the democracy situation and news & information demands. With crises monetary, press industry in Indonesia didn’t lose its revenues, news and information.
1998: Press Reformation and Freedom
Reformation movements that caused the fallen of President Soeharto and New Order regime, also gave revival spirit to Indonesian Press. Reformation and press freedom was clearly defined like ‘a party’.
•However, on March 1998, Ministry of information Hartono wanted to sue D & R magazine due to its’ cover which is Soeharto’s face on the King of Scoop in playing card.
Reformation era was signed and showed with the SIUPP’s arrangement which become much easier. Despitefully, on September 1999, B.J. Habibie’s government legitimized Indonesian Republic Constitution No. 40 year 1999 about Press, replacing the UU RI No. 4 1967 and UU RI No. 21 1982, which was considered as not suitable with the development.
This acknowledgement was like a winning for Indonesian Press. This new constitution, inter-alia, guarantee press freedom and rights to get information and freedom in expressing thought and opinion aligned with the illuminated heart as the most important human rights. This constitution also gave freedom to journalist to choose journalist’ organization (like Dewan Press, Persatuan Wartawan Indonesia, and Aliansi Jurnalis Indonesia) and also guaranteed the existence of Dewan Press.
This situation where media can easily get the SIUPP, about 1000 SIUPP had newly agreed by the ministry of Information, Most of the newly publicized media are politic-oriented weekly tabloid which were owned and supported by the media conglomerates, like Bangkit (Kompas-Gramedia Group) and Oposisi (Jawa Pos Group). With this phenomenon, the audiences didn’t need to interpret the hidden idioms or ‘read between the lines’ like those on New Order. However, now the media need to have skepticism in getting information and news so that the media can produce reliable news, not only just sensationalism news.
•On October 1999, Departemen Penerangan, an institution which control the press and also become the executioner for the press freedom in these two decades, bridled by Presidnet Abdurrahman Wahid.
