President: Maintain the Independence of the Press

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Menparekraf Sandiaga Uno, Governor of West Java Ridwan Kamil, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Muhaimin Iskandar, Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, Chairman of the Democratic Party Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (from left to right) when filling out a discussion and presenting their views at the commemoration event. 10 Years of the Editor-in-Chief Forum (Pemred) at the Raffles Hotel Jakarta, Kuningan, Jakarta, Friday (5/8/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia will face an increasingly challenging situation in the future due to rising global uncertainties. Under these conditions, the role of the press is extremely vital to keeping the nation united.

This discourse came to light at the Chief Editors’ Forum 10th Anniversary event in Jakarta on Friday (5/8/2022). Key attendees at the event included Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, and House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar, from the National Awakening Party faction. Also attending the event were Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, and Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono.e

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> New Dynamics of the Press

Themed "Advancing the Press, Uniting the Nation", participants conveyed their individual ideas on future efforts in developing the country.

President Joko Widodo, who delivered the welcome speech via video link, said that in the course of the nation's history, the press had played a major role in developing the country. The press was also vital as the fourth pillar of democracy. For this reason, he encouraged the press to continue to protect the rights of the people to obtain accurate information. The press should also provide news through quality journalism and combat hoaxes and hate that could divide the nation.

"Continue to show commitment to maintain the independence and freedom of the press," said the President.

The chairman of the Chief Editors’ Forum, Arifin Asydhad, said that press development had been increasingly dynamic with the advancements in information technology, as well as growing national issues. Under these conditions, the press should be able to improve the quality of their journalistic work, he said.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan when presenting his views at the 10th Anniversary of the Editor-in-Chief Forum (Pemred) at the Raffles Hotel Jakarta, Kuningan, Jakarta, Friday (5/8/2022).

In addition, the press was also expected to establish relationships with various stakeholders to identify problems and find solutions to existing problems. "Those two things are being promoted by our media," said Arifin.

One command

Hartarto said the country was currently facing global uncertainties that were not easy to handle, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change issues. However, despite these difficulties, Indonesia was able to survive, he added.

With one command, we can restore the national economy,

“Our willingness to work together in a crisis situation is rather extraordinary. There should be only one way, only one method of leadership, which is one command. With one command, Indonesia can emerge from the pandemic. With one command, we can restore the national economy," he said.

Meanwhile, Sandiaga said that a just and prosperous Indonesia could be realized only if national politics and Indonesia’s democracy became more dignified and healthy. Indonesia was also deemed to have shown great efforts in achieving these goals.

The members of the Pemred Forum take a group photo on Thursday (8/2) in Padang

Meanwhile, Anies underlined the importance of maintaining unity by providing justice for all. “If the media becomes a vehicle for providing equality of ideas [and] opportunities, I believe a sense of togetherness will emerge, unity will emerge. And in that way, we can achieve our goals together," he said.

Ridwan Kamil also believed that it would be difficult for Indonesia to achieve the “golden year” [in 2045] if people in the country were still busy quarrelling with each other.

"In this country, the people are quarrelling about domestic issues and their own [interests], so they don’t have time to catch up with developed countries," he said.

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.