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Jakarta Post

Complicated bureaucracy hampers public access to information

Although the 2008 Freedom of Information Law, which ensures public accessibility to information in public institutions, was enacted a year ago, in Jakarta complicated mechanisms, and bureaucracy, coupled with the ignorance of some civil servants, have rendered the law a paper tiger

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Tue, July 26, 2011

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Complicated bureaucracy hampers public access to information

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lthough the 2008 Freedom of Information Law, which ensures public accessibility to information in public institutions, was enacted a year ago, in Jakarta complicated mechanisms, and bureaucracy, coupled with the ignorance of some civil servants, have rendered the law a paper tiger.

A simple request to access data, and to interview an expert at the Public Works Ministry’s research center, for example, resulted in a convoluted process with little information forthcoming.

“You must send an official letter to the ministry to be able to access data from the research center and interview one of its expert staff members,” an official at the ministry’s center for communication and information said, adding that the center would announce when the letter had been approved via the appropriate divisional head.

The permission to access the Public Works Ministry’s research center never came, despite countless telephone calls to the center requesting information on when the duly submitted letter would be answered.

A recent agreement between the Press Council (PC) and the Central Information Commission (CIC), to raise awareness among state bodies to grant wider information access to journalists, has also not been effective in easing a journalist’s job.

A similarly complicated bureaucratic process occurred at the office of the Jakarta Transportation Agency (JTA), during an attempt to access data on pedestrian bridges throughout the capital. A male administrative staff member of the agency who answered a reporter’s telephone enquiry, said to just come to the office to get the information.

Upon arrival and after being directed to meet several people from various divisions at the JTA, it turned out that an official letter, directly addressed to the agency’s chief requesting access to agency information, would be required.

“The letter should be sent by mail, not email or fax,” said another administrative staff member.

The House of Representatives passed the Freedom of Information Law on April 30, 2008, requiring all state and public institutions at central and regional levels, including: political parties, non-governmental organizations, and mass organizations, to make their information available to the public.

Article 17 of the law exempts only information related to defense and security issues, business deals and diplomatic negotiations.

Apart from these exemptions, the law guarantees all citizens — including journalists — access to information from state institutions as part of a policy to support good governance, and in an attempt to encourage the public’s participation in policy making.

According to the law, a public institution that intentionally hampers the public’s access to information will be punished with a maximum fine of Rp 5 million (US$585), or up to one year in prison.

Most recently, the PC and the CIC signed an agreement, on July 14, requiring state bodies to treat journalists appropriately under the law on freedom of information, as well as to establish stronger cooperation and coordination between media outlets and state bodies. (msa)

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