The Jakarta administration is making efforts to improve awareness among its agencies and working units regarding the 2008 Public Information Law, which is set to come into effect nationwide as of April 30.
Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said Monday the administration was preparing the first stage of implementation of the law, while the formation of a provincial commission was still in progress.
“It is every citizen’s right to be able to obtain relevant information so that, by law, the city can better facilitate public involvement in decision-making processes related to public interests,” he said.
Commenting on the preparations, Jakarta Communication, Information and Public Relations Agency chief Nurachman told The Jakarta Post that his office was preparing Documentation and Information Management Officers (PPID).
Nurachman said it was crucial for the administration to put together infrastructure including websites so that the public could access information via the Internet.
Citizens who could not find information online could file requests to public institutions, which would register their names, addresses and subjects and later reply within 10 days.
The House of Representatives officially passed the law on public information on April 30, 2008.
The law is aimed at creating a transparent state administration, applying principles of good governance, while supporting the process of democratization based on transparency, participation, and accountability.
According to Ismail Cawidu, the head of the legal, political and security information center of the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, citizens could request any information of public interest from any public institution, including ministries, government agencies and units, courts and NGOs.
“However, the information on internal dispositions, such as memorandums, which are usually confidential in nature, cannot be disclosed to the public,” he said, adding that government institutions should have started listing their policies and future projects in digital format, so that the public could access this information freely.
Internal memorandums include correspondence between subordinates and heads in the same public organization, and are not accessible by the public because they provide only guidelines, not policies that are important to the public interest, Ismail said.
Other types of information that cannot be accessed include that related to intellectual property rights, national security, intelligence strategies and documents, and anything that would hamper police investigations.
Otherwise, citizens are guaranteed by the state constitution to obtain information of public interest. (tsy)
Citizens who could not find information online could file requests to public institutions...
