T

he General Elections Commission (KPU) is considering amending its 2013 regulation that requires all media outlets to provide equal coverage of every legislative candidate.

Some organizations and politicians have said the regulation would shackle press freedom.

According to Article 46 (1), any media outlets that do not provide equal portion of duration or space to each legislative hopeful will receive sanctions ranging from written warnings to publication or broadcasting bans.

“We have to consider the ideal form [of the regulation]. We will discuss this with the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission [KPI] and the Press Council, so there will be no problem in the future,” KPU commissioner Ferry Kurnia Rizkiyansyah said on Friday in Jakarta, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Ferry added the regulation was not aimed at curbing press freedom, but to create an ideal campaign atmosphere for candidates who had strong media and financial support and those who did not have such privileges.

Numerous media outlets in the country are now controlled by politicians, whose parties will contest the 2014 elections.

NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh is the owner of Metro TV news channel and the Media Indonesia daily, whereas Golkar Party chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie owns news channels TVOne, ANTV and the Vivanews online news portal.

Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who controls the country’s largest media network — PT Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) — is the chief patron of the People’s Conscience (Hanura) Party.