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President
Yudhoyono Says Indonesian Press
Among Freest in Asia
In
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's
view, the press in Indonesia is one
of the freest in Asia, presidential
spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said
here on Tuesday.
"According to the president, the
press is one of the pillars of
democracy, and Indonesia can pride
itself in the fact that its press is
among the freest in Asia,"
Mallarangeng said after accompanying
the president at a meeting with top
executives of the Globe Media Group
at the presidential office here on
Tuesday.
Quoting the president, Mallarangeng
said unlike other Asian countries,
Indonesia now no longer had any
rules restricting freedom of the
press. Therefore the president
expressed hope that the Indonesian
press would be a benchmark in the
Asian region.
President Yudhoyono had also said
that news reports in Indonesia were
no longer censored and therefore the
press had become freer and fairer in
providing information to develop the
nation's mentality.
The
president, according to Mallarangeng,
supported the existence of
independent media that enlightened
the people. He said the president
also welcomed the new emerging media
in Indonesia as an industry that
created job opportunities for the
people.
"It is
not correct to categorize the press
in Indonesia as a 'sunset industry'.
Indonesia is an 'emerging country',
a developing country with a
developing media industry,"
Mallarangeng said citing the
president.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Globe manager
Sigit Pramono said that at his
meeting with President Yudhoyono, he
had reported about the Globe Media
Group's activities, including the
recent launching of an
English-language daily called The
Jakarta Globe.
Sigit
said it was the Globe Media Group's
hope that the The Jakarta Globe
would be a medium to make Indonesia
better known to English-speaking
readers. (ANTARA)
