Getting ready for an era of openness
Erwida Maulia and Hans David Tampubolon , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 03/24/2010 9:54 AM | National
Nearing the deadline for the implementation of the 2008 Freedom of Information Law, which falls in late April, the Communications and Information Technology Ministry is finalizing exemptions to the law.
The office is also preparing to set an example for other government institutions in complying with the law.
“We [the Communications and Information Technology Ministry] have set out norms and procedures for the implementation of the law and hope we can function as a model that other public institutions can look up to,” ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa Broto, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Gatot said the ministry would soon appoint a special official responsible for facilitating freedom of information requests from the public and that it expected other public institutions to follow suit.
“This is a new regulation. It will affect executive, legislative and judiciary institutions, as well as other organizations including NGOs that receive funding from the state budget.
“We’re thrilled and yet anxious to see how it will work,” he said.
Gatot added the ministry was finalizing the draft of the government regulation on exemptions for the law.
“We’re thrilled and yet anxious to see how it will work.”
Certain information related to defense and security issues, business deals and diplomatic negotiations will be among those exempt from the law.
He said, however, that based on his observation, other institutions might not be as prepared as his ministry.
“So far I have seen that the Health Ministry and the National Police are gearing up for the law, but other departments are still searching for the right way to implement it,” Gatot said.
The freedom of information law was passed in April 2008 as part of the government’s effort to show its commitment to implementing clean governance under the principle of transparency.
However, critics have raised doubt over how far public institutions will be willing to release information requested by the public.
Gatot said that Article 52 of the law stipulated that public institutions would face one year in prison and/or a maximum of Rp 5 million (US$544) in fines if they refused to provide the information requested by the public.
Agus Sudibyo, from the Press Council, emphasized the need for the government to seriously reprimand public institutions that refused to comply with the law after it came into effect.
“Don’t provide ways for more delays in the implementation of the law. Let’s say we give public institutions a maximum of three months to adapt to the new regulation, and if they fail to do so, there has to be a consequences.
“Otherwise the law will not be effective,” Agus said.
The law, should it come into effect, will help pave the way for greater press freedom.
Currently, journalists are occasionally denied access to government information.
Separately, deputy head of the House of Representatives’ Commission I on information and defense affairs, Tubagus Hasanuddin, expressed lawmakers’ doubts over the government’s readiness to implement the law.
Tubagus said the committee members had met twice with Communications and Information Technology Ministry officials to speed up preparations for the full enforcement of the law, but found the government had not completed certain aspects of the law, such as funding and human resources issues.
“At the last meeting, the ministry told us the salary structure for members of the information commission was still under debate at the State Secretariat.
“So, frankly speaking, I would say the ministry is not ready yet,” he added.
