Threat to Press Freedom

Press Council of Indonesia warns that new Indonesian Law about Electronic Transaction and Electronic must not use to disband press freedom. House of Representative decided to launch this law last week. Actually, there are several controversial verses inside. Just like what Press Council of Indonesia warns.

On chapter 27 verses 3 said, everybody who have intention without right and or make electronic information or document which contained blasphemy or insult against anybody’s name can be accessed categorized as forbidden action. Afterwards, on chapter 45 verses 2 contain punishment to that violation is sentence to jail with maximum term of six years and or due at the maximum fee one billion rupiah for untrue news and also information distribution that can cause hatred.

“That can be use against press and will distract press freedom. Although it is not written, object on that two verses aimed to the press. This is a kind of press criminalization. And the excess is cut off press control function,” said Sabam Leo Batubara as Vice Chairman of Press Council of Indonesia. To protect press freedom, they ask the President of the Republic of Indonesia to delay signed that Indonesian Law –means it will delay its implementation too- before that problems with two verses being cleared. Press council will ask Minister of Information and Communication to guarantee that two verses will not use by police or state attorney to ban press freedom. They will ask the same thing onto police and state attorney also.

Matari Birthday Exhibition

Matari as the leading advertising agency in Indonesia commemorated their birthday uniquely. They make one day exhibition called “Indonesian Advertising Museum”. For that purpose, they displayed around thirty examples of print-ad that they ever made. Beside that, they also showed advertising clip and ad lips or radio recording. Those all materials come from 1970 until the newest on 2007.

Matari itself come from Indonesian word “matahari” means “the sun”. For around four decades they shine Indonesian advertising horizon brightly. This exhibition had proved to public how experience Matari is. Moreover, after his founder passed away on 2005, they succeeded to transform company’s value to the next generation. Matari always proud to be Indonesian as stated by Ken Sudarto, Matari’s founder: “Advertising only involves people and communications. We believe that no one can understand and communicate with Indonesians, like other Indonesians…”.

Indonesian Media Criticized

Related to Soeharto funeral covering, some of Indonesian media experts criticized Indonesian media as not put the principle of equality. They said that Soeharto whose accussed as the biggest corruptor in the world exposed on one side only. The side which chosen by media is to show heroism side of him only. As for your information, Soeharto is the longest president of Indonesia. He was at presidency around 32 years. But he got his top position in his country through bloody hidden coup against the first presiden Soekarno.

Whenever he was president, there were many cases related to human rights violence. Maybe you already now about Timor-Timur (our former province which liberated at 2003 through open referendum) or Aceh. He also commanded several action like Petrus (this is Indonesian acronym for “Pembunuhan Misterius” or “Mysterious Killing”). Not only that, since the beginning of his New Order regime, his hand not clean from blood since he indicated to order mass killing to PKI (Partai Komunis Indonesia-Indonesian Communist Party) member & Soekarno’s supporter. But all of that ‘messy thing’ were not appeared on Indonesian media during his funeral covering.

Edward Sheriff Curtis Photo Exhibition

Event: Edward Sheriff Curtis Photo Exhibition. Place: Bentara Budaya, Jakarta-Indonesia. Date: January 15-29, 2008. Organizer: United States Embassy in Indonesia.

I was amazed when visiting this photo exhibition. All photos which showed true greatness of pictorial photography. What I most amazed is, those photo taken in the beginning of this century! Wow! How perfect the techniques had by it’s photographer, shown here. As stated in this exhibition brochure, this photographic exhibition explores the extraordinary diversity among Native American peoples, their culture and history, the diversity of American society, and the technical and aesthetic achievement of Edward S. Curtis.

Like the photo shown as illlustration above, shown one Indian ethnic chief using regalia or crown and given title as Crater Lake. The picture like gold, appearing sepia tone color. For you who live in Jakarta, especially who like photography, I think you should visit this exhibition.

Soeharto Passed Away

Soeharto, the longest former Indonesian President passed away today on 01.10 PM. He will be burried tommorow with state official military ceremony in his family’s cemetery. All Indonesian bureaucrats visited his body in his family’s house complex at Cendana street, Jakarta. As one of the famous third world leader, his burial ceremony will be attend by several world leaders.

Photo caption: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Soeharto body. Photo by: Abror Rizky/Presidential Secretariate

Who is Bersihar Lubis?

If you see widget on the right side of this blog, you can see that I patched a banner with copy in bahasa Indonesia. You can read up-down: “Blogger untuk Kebebasan. Bersihar Lubis. Kebebasan Menulis adalah HAM.” I know, for you who are not Indonesian will not understand. I translate for you: “Blogger for Freedom. Bersihar Lubis. Freedom to Write is Human Rights.”

Now, maybe you will ask who is Bersihar Lubis? Yeah, this is local case in Indonesia. He is ex-Tempo magazine journalist whose became independent columnist. He wrote down opinion on Tempo tabloid at March 17, 2007 about books banned by Attorney General. Those book had been banned because do not mention the word PKI (Partai Komunis Indonesia-Indonesian Communist Party) which is restricted party on the terminology G 30 S. This is terminology had made by New Order regime government which mean Gerakan 30 September (30 September Movement). For your information, this is failed coupe d’etat which accused by New Order regime was held by PKI. This 1966 bloody transition has made General Soeharto –the leader of New Order regime- can sit on the throne as Indonesian president. Meanwhile his predecessor and the founding father of Indonesia –Soekarno- accused being involve in that coupe. After Soeharto fall down in 1998, the new discourse spread: PKI maybe not involved as deep as the history by New Order regime said. At least, the new argument said PKI was not the main and only actor.

Bersihar relating this new banning with old banned to Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s (a.k.a. “Pram”) books. He is one of Indonesian most famous writer which got many awards abroad. Then he quoted Joesoef Isak as publisher of Pram’s book whenever he investigated by Attorney General staff in Soeharto era at 1980. He was detained as political prisoner at 1965, 1966, and 1967-1977. But in 1980 he just interrogated. And whenever ask to tell the process of interrogation, he commented “I was tortured by dumbness of interrogator, and the interrogator was tortured by their commander which have higher lever of dumbness.”

This word “dumb” make three attorney at Depok district attorney got angry. Because they feel as part of attorney general, they sue Bersihar to the court of Depok district and the trial itself still in progress until now. Because of that, as an ex- journalist and writer, the writer of this blog support Bersihar as expression of freedom to write in Indonesia.

Story Behind Poster Making

I found one story about one of the oldest Indonesian printmaking art/poster which I posted before. The poster in black/white was made by Affandi, but the body copy made by Chairil Anwar. Here I translate quotation from Sjuman Djaya book titled Aku (I Am). For Indonesian young generation, this book well-known because in the box-office Indonesian Movie Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (What’s The Matter With Love) the role playing actress Dian Sastrowardoyo has brought and read this book in many scenes.

Chairil come back to studio. His appearance without clothe, has made Dien and other female artist shy. But Chairil continuing his action and stand up in front of Affandi’s poster that showed a man picture raise his hand and scream, Chairil said:

“Ha, look, it must be like this the word we use on it!”

Chairil spraying paint under that wet poster wrote: “Boeng, Ajo Boeng!” (“Man, Come on Man!”). After put his writing, he look at the other artist and said:

“Boeng, Ajo Boeng! How, is it great, isn’t it?”

Without waiting for reply, he was walking away to the front side. But everyone present shaking their head as their way to show their agreement with Chairil contribution into that freedom poster.

For you who don’t know who is Affandi and Chairil Anwar, I think I will write about them later. I will put them on inspirational people category in this blog.

Quotation source: Sjuman Djaya. 2003. Aku: berdasarkan perjalanan hidup dan karya penyair Chairil Anwar. Jakarta: Metafor. p. 63-64. Pointer 70.

Printmaking or Graphic Art Exhibition

I feel like fool when visited this exhibition. As an autodidact graphic designer I just thought that the only way graphic is the way that I know: using sketch and finishing it with computer touch. But I surprised –considering I never became a graphic student- that graphic has a long history. And the definition of graphic art or usually call printmaking also is they can duplicated as many as the artist want. But in every copy he/she do careful supervision and give their own mark or signature on it. After that, the master or plate that used already for made the arts copy will be destroyed. In this way of arts, there are several techniques. They are woodcut, dry point, linocut, etch, screen print, aquatint, stencil, canvas cut, hardboard cut, or lithograph. Of course the newest technique that I already know included, it is photocopy and digital printing. Like another kind of arts these printmakings also allowing using mix media technique. The exhibition itself already held at Bentara Budaya Jakarta on November 1-15, 2007 and Galeri Nasional Indonesia on November 2-11, 2007. Beside showing arts collection of Dewan Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Art Council), Bentara Budaya (Culture Habit) and Galeri Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian National Gallery), this exhibition invited 19 artists also. For art lover, this exhibition gave a brief history about graphic art in Indonesia. Illustration I used in this posting is one of the oldest lithograph by Affandi –latter became Indonesian famous impressionist artist- made at 1947 titled “Boeng, Ajo Boeng!” (“Man, Come on Man!”) which still in black and white (left picture). The other illustration is Sri Maryanto’s Mati Tersenyum (Death with Smile) which made at 2003 on hardboard cut (right picture).  

Source: Hafiz (curator). 2007. Seni Grafis, Dari Cukil Sampai Stensil. Katalog Pameran. (Graphic Art, From Cutting until Stencil. Exhibition Catalogue). Jakarta: Bentara Budaya Jakarta.

New Chairman of SPS elected

SPS (Serikat Penerbit Suratkabar – Newspaper Publisher Union) of Indonesia has chosen a new chairman in their XXII congress. He is the leader of Jawa Pos Publishing Group, Dahlan Iskan. This congress held on November 13-14, 2007 at Jakarta. Meanwhile former two times chairman Jakob Oetama whose Commissaries President of Kompas Gramedia Group appointed as Chairman of Advisory Council. For Daily Executive Committee Chairman acted by M. Ridlo Eisy whose the Director of Galamedia Bandung Perkasa.   

 

Photo caption: Dahlan Iskan, the new SPS Chairman. Photo source: MYE/Kompas

Two Indonesian Journalist Detained for Child Trafficking

Indonesian State Police of Makassar Big City Area detained two journalists from Kalimantan who’s suspected being involved in child trafficking. They were arrested in police ambush at some hotel at Makassar. They are known as journalist from the press-ID they brought. One of them is Maksimus Mutiara –Komando local tabloid journalist- and the other is Hariani –Barata local newspaper journalist- who’s caught in the act along with one buyer from black market.  

Police found that two journalist trying to sold one four month age baby to Jakarta. Hariani who’s supported that baby confessed that she don’t know about that child transaction when seized. Initially, that male baby named Stefen Ronaldo Rumbia will sell through Alex as buyer from black market.

Police confiscated some evidence such as hand phone, baby clothes, and credit card. Police also found two pieces of receipts that ready to sign which mentioned the baby will sell at the price of Rp 35 million (approx. US $ 3,500). That receipt already sealed –but not signed yet- with the agreement they will give that child’s grandmother named Dg Kenna Rp 1 million (approx US $ 100). One receipt mentioned Rp 15 million (approx. US $ 1,500) and the other Rp 20 million (approx. US $ 2,000).

In this case, police suspected that two journalists are not single player. They are suspected as a part of child trafficking criminal network. Indonesian State Police of Makassar Big City Area announced this case at Saturday (3/11) on 11.25 PM Central Indonesian Time to Antara, Indonesian News Agency.

This article re-write by Bhayu M.H. from source: kapanlagi.com