Last week, the public called for action against MetroTV and TVOne for allegedly abusing public frequency for the purpose of the Presidential Election. But today, those with high hopes for stern measures, may be disappointed. On thursday (Jul. 17), the Minister of Communication and Informatics Tifatul Sembiring told reporters that the government will not revoke the broadcasting license of MetroTV and TVOne. Instead it would only evaluate the broadcasting license and the content of said channels.
The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) had previously stated in their website that both MetroTV and TVOne were no longer suitable to be considered as news channel television. For both, so the KPI argued, had violated section 4 article 36 of the 2002 Broadcasting Law that reads “the neutrality of broadcasting content must be maintained and must not prioritize any particular party.”
But on 27 June 2014, the KPI only managed to send a recommendation letter to the Ministry of Communication and Informatics that requested the evaluation of MetroTV and TVOne’s broadcasting license. The aim was to determine whether or not both channels match the news channel criteria. There was no explicit mention of revocation of license.
According to reports published by various national media outlets, Minister Tifatul claimed to have summoned both TV channels for investigation. Thus far Metro TV is the only one that have answered the summon. Tifatul hopes that investigation into the case could be finalized ahead of Jul. 22 when the General Election Commission (KPU) announces the result of the presidential election.
Tifatul, who is also a politician of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), denied the allegation that his Ministry had deliberately slowed down the pace of evaluating both channels. Instead, Tifatul argued, the government had been working in accordance with the procedures. He also mentioned that the government would not be able to directly revoke broadcasting licenses. “We would assess their (the channels’) subjectivity in accommodating a certain party’s interests. Honestly, we are also fed up with the subjectivity of the media,” he added.
As you all know, MetroTV is owned by the founder of the National Democrat Party Surya Paloh. TVOne, on the other hand, is owned by the chairman of Golkar Party Abu Rizal Bakrie. Both TV channels are hugely popular news channels. Both have the ability to influence public perception through their coverage. There is, however, the obligation to be neutral given that both channels are riding on public frequency as per the 2002 broadcasting regulation. But there are those who strongly believe that neither MetroTV nor TVOne have respected the neutrality rule.
By Elisabeth Oktofani
