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.
Internet blackout hampers journalists' work in Papua
Security measures and an internet blackout were the government's swift response against massive protests that turned into unrest in Papua and West Papua in the past two weeks, following the racist persecution of students from the country’s easternmost province in East Java
Change Size
S
span>Security measures and an internet blackout were the government's swift response against massive protests that turned into unrest in Papua and West Papua in the past two weeks, following the racist persecution of students from the country’s easternmost province in East Java.
The internet blackout has frustrated journalists reporting from the restive provinces as they struggle to gather information quickly and accurately and deliver live news reports. To make matters worse, e-commerce platforms and application-based service companies have also been affected by the blackout.
INews TV reporter Cornelia Mudumi Agaki expressed her disagreement of the government’s decision to restrict internet access in Papua, saying it was a form of technological setback that had a negative impact on locals and journalists in the area.
"I feel like I'm back in the Stone Age. As a journalist, the blackout deeply troubles me because I cannot deliver live news reports or quickly provide updates to the public,” she told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Cornelia explained that the blackout had “mutilated” the information she delivered to the public, adding that she could no longer send long or in-depth news reports and even struggled to deliver short reports.
She expressed hope that the blackout would be lifted soon or that the government would at least grant access to journalists to deliver information.
Meanwhile, for Darma Somba, an online media journalist from Jayapura, Papua, the blackout had made it difficult for her to update her articles.
West Papua Indonesian Women's Journalists Forum (FJPI) member Flora Batlayeri added that it had been difficult for her to deliver news reports to her company headquarters in Jakarta.
"Previously, I could still access the internet by using Wi-Fi, even though the connection was not stable and often lost, but now I can’t even do that anymore,” said a Kompas TV reporter in Sorong, West Papua.
Cornelia, Flora and Darma all expressed hope that the government could provide a better solution to maintaining stability in the regions besides an internet blackout or any form of news restriction as it was a violation of human rights.
Responding to the complaints, Eko Sulistyo, political communication deputy at the Executive Office of the President (KSP), said the internet restriction, as well as the deployment of thousands of additional security personnel, were part of the government’s emergency measures.
“At this point, both actions are necessary to restore public order. The government had to take this path because the situation in both provinces had escalated into a state of emergency,” Eko said.
He explained that residents who had taken part in the protests were afraid of retaliation from non-indigenous Papuans due to their smaller numbers.
He explained that if a communal conflict was to erupt in Papua, the impact would even be greater than that of the Poso conflict in Central Sulawesi between 1998 and 2001, because Papuans have multilayered differences compared to non-indigenous Papuans living in the region, such as a difference in religion.
Eko added that the internet restriction was an emergency measure to prevent further chaos, pointing out that identity politics, extremism and racism had been rampant on social media platforms.
"According to the Electronic Information and Transactions [ITE] Law, the government has the authority to block internet access as long as it notifies [the public] of the time period. The government imposed an internet restriction during the May 21 riots in Jakarta. But after the situation was stable, everything went back to normal; the same thing is happening in Papua," he told journalists at Hotel Santika Dyandra in Medan, North Sumatra, on Saturday night.
Besides journalists, e-commerce businesses and app-based companies have also been directly affected by the internet blackout in Papua and West Papua.(nal)
