Indonesia calls itself a democratic country, yet the government has a tight fist around expression, particularly when it comes to ordinary citizens and journalists. In late February, columnist Bersihar Lubis from Koran Tempo daily was sentenced to one month in jail for insulting government prosecutors in an opinion piece. He criticized the government for burning school history textbooks, an act reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

Recently, the House of Representatives considered -- it dropped its plan after a House member was caught red-handed receiving a bribe -- taking up a defamation lawsuit against rock band Slank for performing a song criticizing the House for corruption. It is ridiculous the House had such a defamation lawsuit plan. If governments around the world sued for defamation, Bob Dylan would have been jailed for his song, "God on Our Side"; likewise Bob Marley with his song, "War". You couldn't even imagine what they would do to Bono and Bob Geldof. Perhaps even opposition parties criticizing the government in their election campaigns could be jailed for defamation.

Expressing political opinions is at the heart of democracy. In many countries, large organizations of any kind cannot sue for defamation. Citizens have the right to openly criticize fast food companies, steel manufacturers, banks and, of course, the government. The law exists to protect ordinary people from being intimidated by the powerful and being quickly paid off to keep their mouths shut.

Last week, Johan Teterisa was sentenced to life in jail for waving the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist flag in front of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year. The peaceful protest consisted of a traditional war dance and the unveiling of the RMS flag, which was apparently "embarrassing" for the President. The President has had the freedom to comment a number of times on separatist movements in Indonesia, but Teterisa clearly does not have the same right. It seems the President is entitled to freedom of expression while the rest of us suffer fear of expression.

Freedom of expression is a basic human right that should be extended to everyone. We cannot have freedom of expression for one person and not the next. Even if an opinion is completely bigoted or regressive, we all have the right to express it. If people are not allowed to verbalize their opinions, no matter how much society may disagree with them, it is possible they will express them through other means, namely violence.

Perhaps secret societies such as America's Ku Klux Klan form for these reasons. The Skinhead movement in Europe and even South America is surprisingly on the rise but is kept secret and only highlighted when groups commit violent acts. It is better to allow these people to express their views instead of pushing them underground.

We cannot force freedom of expression to only include positive or progressive opinions. True freedom of expression is a free market of ideas where the individual can make up his or her own mind after discussion and debate.

The only time one should lose the right to absolute freedom of expression is when the message incites violence or puts people in clear and present danger.

This freedom even extends to conservative anti-immigration Dutch politician Geert Wilders. This country's government has resorted to unreasonable actions in response to his anti-Islamic film Fitna. As vilifying as Wilder's message is, it is a positive thing that the society allows discussion of these sentiments. He had the right to make the film and Muslims have the right to express their disgust and outrage.

It is better to know what this conservative politician thinks about Islam than to muzzle his thoughts and opinions. He is a member of parliament and holds some power in Dutch society. Maybe his film will make some think twice at the voting polls.

The Dutch too have taken to the streets in protest and the EU has also condemned the film. However, no other country in the world has blocked Youtube and MySpace to censor the film, including other predominantly Muslim countries.

The Internet has given a voice to the voiceless and some governments are cracking down on the empowering gateway. There are at least 62 Internet dissidents imprisoned worldwide and 2,600 blogs and forums have been blocked.

Today Indonesia is ranked 100th on the Reporters Without Borders freedom index. For a democratic country, this is too far down the list. If the government continues to censor on such a level, Indonesians will be kept in the dark while the rest of the world participates in healthy, progressive debates. If the everyday Indonesian does not have the right to expression, all other rights are lost.

Angela Dewan holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, and has written various articles on political and social issues. angela dewan

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