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The media mediate. Herein lies their importance in any
society. In a democracy, however, that role is critical. So it is with the
Indonesian media.
The media — whether print or broadcast or digital, mainstream or
alternative — mediate between the people and the government, and among
people themselves.
They bring to the government’s attention issues that are important to
ordinary people without the intervention or control of the bureaucracy,
which is a part of the state structure.
But the media also are agenda-setters for the public itself. They select
and highlight the most important issues of the day and set the tone of
public discussion by the way they analyze those issues.
These functions are important in any political system. The problem is that,
in an autocracy, the media either become a “responsible” one-way channel of
communications between the government and the people, or they are deemed
irresponsible and even subversive, and treated accordingly. Depending on
the degree of autocracy, newspapers can be banned or inquisitive
journalists killed.
In a democracy, by contrast, the whole concept of responsibility is turned
on its head: the freedom of the media becomes a part of the work that a
“responsible” state does. In other words, the legitimacy and credibility of
the government depend on the extent to which it enables the media to be
free.
This is an undeniable achievement of Indonesian democracy. Whereas the
state-controlled and censored media of the Soeharto era were seen as being
essential to the state’s stability, it is the free media that perform such
function today.
Whereas problems such as corruption continue to afflict democratic
Indonesia, its free media are a source of national pride both in Southeast
Asia and beyond the region.
What has been proved over the past decade is that free media do not sow
dissension and chaos in society. True, there will always be newspapers or
TV stations that will cater to narrow audiences and seek popularity by
pandering to their baser instincts, or by sensationalizing issues to confirm
their pet prejudices.
However, freedom means also that other sources of information, analysis and
opinion will be available to counter sectarian or partisan propaganda and
balance it. The truth may not emerge immediately amid the cacophony of contradictory
voices, but it will prevail eventually.
When this happens — that is, when the truth is established through the
contest of ideas and not presented as a fait accompli through the coercion
of power — public opinion moves toward a genuine consensus on the direction
of society. In contributing to this outcome, the free media strengthen the
democracy that gave birth to them. The media repay democracy’s gift.
Democracy and the media are political fellow-travelers. Indonesian
democracy is a combination of a presidential system derived from the West
and a political culture that is intensely Indonesian.
Within that system, the Indonesian media have taken with alacrity to their
role as the Fourth Estate. In doing so, they are wedding the best
traditions of Western liberalism, from whence such concepts are drawn, to
indigenous Indonesian traditions of intellectual independence and critical
thinking.
They are proving that there is no dichotomy between the highest Western and
Eastern values, although the application of these values obviously will
differ depending on circumstance and context.
In the case of Indonesia, the role of the free media touches particularly
on religion, a key issue in the consolidation of democracy.
Although Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world,
it is a Pancasila state that recognizes equality before the law for all its
citizens irrespective of religion. This is one valuable principle that has
been transmitted from the Soeharto years to the democratic era.
Hence, in giving voice to the religious aspirations of Indonesians, which
are entirely legitimate in themselves, the media must be careful not to
amplify the voice of any religious community to the point where weaker
voices are drowned out.
Indeed, in the interests of upholding religious pluralism, the media should
be extremely careful to not give undue prominence to the most radical
elements, particularly those wedded to violence, merely because they shout
the loudest.
Cutting off the oxygen of publicity works wonders with those who seek to
attract it through egregiously hateful speech or gratuitous acts of
violence.
Wherever possible, the media should highlight the views of those who
believe in reason and tolerance and are prepared to stand up for what they
believe, sometimes at the cost of their personal security.
Media activism in this sense will be required as Indonesia moves into the
next phase of its development. The consolidation of democracy, sustained
growth rates that create a viable basis for economic evolution, and a
vibrant civil society are converging to mould a country that will entrench
its position as Southeast Asia’s lynchpin power.
But it is the media that will complete this picture by fulfilling its
mandate as a watchdog of both state and society.
This is also true of countries and regions such as the United States and
Europe, where media freedom is an inextricable part of the political and
civil liberties that define the character of the people.
However, in order to play a watchdog’s role, the media will have to become
more self-critical. Journalists who believe that their vocation is a
mission as well will have to come together to create norms that will be
respected across the profession.
A self-policing media mechanism is the best safeguard against both
journalists who exploit media freedom to further corporate or sectional
interests; and those in power who will look for excesses committed by rogue
scribes to curb legitimate media freedom.
When responsible — that is, fearless — journalism becomes the norm, any
attempt by vested interests to corral freedom will be reduced to a fringe,
rearguard action. That is the day when the free Indonesian media will come
into their own.
It is a day that all citizens should look forward to, because nowhere on
earth is there an advanced society where the media are backward. Indonesia
is no exception. ●
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