The proposed state secrecy bill is still being debated, with some groups claiming the law will be used by the government to suppress its citizens. There are a few aspects surrounding the bill that are being misinterpreted and have subsequently led to a misunderstanding about what the law really entails.
Since the country shifted toward the reformist era following the fall of Soeharto, I believe it would be near impossible to revive an authoritarian government that could rule this nation with secret interests and hidden power. I think suggestions that the state secrecy bill is a politically motivated conspiracy are too extreme and exaggerated.
There are a number of stories, popular legends if you will, surrounding state secrets.
One very classic rumor is that the US President is always escorted by a junior officer absolutely everywhere he/she travels. This escort carries a small case, which can only be opened with a special code only the President knows, and inside it contains technology capable of launching nuclear warheads to any location necessary at that exact time, in the chance such a situation arose.
A similar story of dubious origins comes from Indonesia during the New Order period. The legend goes that every year the Indonesian president delivered a bill on the state budget to the House of Representatives, who would then examine it before the figures were released to the public.
The government also gave an outline of the basic information from the bill to chief editors of all newspapers in Jakarta one day prior to the House meeting, on the premise they did not publish it until the plenary session was complete.
Once however a daily newspaper published the details of the bill on the morning of the plenary budget meeting at the House and was accused of acting against an unwritten law on state secrets. The paper was banned from publication for a number of months, because the coordinating minister for economic, monetary and industrial affairs announced that the briefing was classified material and embargoed until presented to the House.
I decided to raise these stories surrounding state secrets to make a number of points. First, a government often possesses information surrounding policies and projects that should be treated as secret for a certain period of time, of even indefinitely. It may be secret information, top-secret information or confidential.
Second, only a very few select officials are authorized to access that information. A citizen's right to access information should be respected but they should also acknowledge, honor and protect the national interest. Citizens should realize that not everybody should be able to access secret, top secret or confidential information.
Third, officials or trusted figures who are given access to this secret information but then leak it should be punished, because it could endanger or compromise the national interest. Unauthorized people who access the information should also be punished.
There should be a law which deals with the government's authority to protect secret information, and that is in fact exactly what the state secrecy bill is proposing at the moment.
I have not read the bill, but I believe it will be based on the country's best interests.
Soedibyo
Jakarta
