TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Critical op-ed retraction tests freedom of expression
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Several journalists hold banners during a protest to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in Surabaya, East Java, on May 2. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
C
oncerns are mounting among rights activists that freedom of speech in the country is under threat after news portal Detik took down an opinion piece that was critical of the growing presence of military officers in President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, as the author feared for their safety.
Detik published on Thursday an opinion piece written by a civil servant at the Finance Ministry titled “Jenderal di Jabatan Sipil: Di Mana Merit ASN?" (Military Generals in Civilian Posts: Where is the Merit for Civil Servants?), which criticized Prabowo’s appointment of three-star Army general Djaka Budi Utama as the ministry’s customs and excise director.
Talks of Djaka’s appointment had also prompted concerns among activists and the public alike of a potential violation to the recently revised Indonesian Military (TNI) Law because the Finance Ministry is not among the 14 state institutions that active military personnel can be assigned to without first resigning. But the government, in response, said that Djaka’s appointment did not contravene the law since he had already resigned from active duty before being inaugurated for the civilian job on Friday.
On the same day that the opinion piece on Djaka was published by Detik, the writer reportedly was struck by unidentified motorcyclists wearing full-face helmets twice, in the morning and a few hours later.
Detik later took down the opinion piece, saying the removal was “based on a recommendation from the Press Council and for the writer’s safety”.
However, after the council issued a statement on Friday denying any such recommendation, Detik clarified that the piece was taken down “at the writer’s request” after the person raised concerns for their safety.
While the council condemned the alleged intimidation and urged anyone to respect freedom of expression, deputy chair Totok Suryanto said in a voice statement on Saturday night that it is better for the writer “to report whether they received threats to the police, not the council”.
