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Public told not to worry about sending emails
The Ministry of information and Communications urged the public on Sunday not to worry about communicating through email
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The Ministry of information and Communications urged the public on Sunday not to worry about communicating through email.
"There is no reason for the public to worry, or be afraid to use telecommunication services or to communicate electronically," ministry spokesman, Gatot S. Dewa Broto, said in Jakarta.
Gatot said such an assurance was needed to calm public fear of expressing their opinion openly, something that has been the subject of nationwide public outcry in recent days.
Gatot said that such an assurance was also important as there has been a rising trend of sending complaints through email rather than through the post.
"Legal regulations on individuals and groups of people or institutions to have privacy in communicating electronically are already strict enough," Gatot said as quoted by Antara.
He further explained that if a legal problem arises over the content of a widely read email it is not within the parameters of the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (ITE).
Gatot made the remarks in response to the case of Prita Mulyasari, a housewife who has been charged with violating Article 27 of the ITE law and Article 310 of the Criminal Code on defamation after she complained in an email about the poor treatment she received at the Omni International Hospital in Tangerang.
Rudi Satrio, a legal expert from the University of Indonesia, said on Friday that complaining about public services can not be considered defamation.
"Article 310 of the Criminal Code on defamation cites exceptions to the law if one is complaining about public services," Rudi said.
Gatot said his ministry had intensively liaised with both law enforcers and the public to ensure proper understanding and enforcement of the law, which deals with a new, previously unregulated domain.
"This process will go on and be intensified. The public will be given rights and the chance to evaluate, decipher and criticize the articles of the law if they find parts which are against the 1945 Constitution," he said. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Indonesian constitution.
Several groups have called for a judicial review by the Constitution Court of Article 27 of the ITE law, but the proposal was turned down in a court verdict on May 5, 2009.
The trial of Prita is set to continue when her lawyers deliver their statements on Thursday.
