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View all search resultsThe Publisher Rights and the absurdity of modern governance
As Indonesia backslides on democratic indices, the nation faces a crisis that is as much philosophical as it is political. Examining the struggle related to the Publisher Rights through the lens of Camus reveals a systemic absurdity that threatens the very survival of our free press.
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Media workers commemorate World Press Freedom Day on May 2, 2025, during a rally organized by the local chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists and other civic groups in Surabaya, East Java, to protest violence and intimidation against journalists. (Antara/Didik Suhartono)
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bsurdism is a philosophy closely associated with Albert Camus, drawing its core imagery from the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Punished by the gods to roll a massive boulder up a hill for eternity, Sisyphus found that every time he neared the summit, the boulder would slide back down to the foot of the hill.
In the modern political context, this myth represents a state of constant, exhausting effort that yields no permanent progress. It is the frustration of building a democracy, only to see its foundations crumble just as success feels within reach.
Indonesia is living its own Sisyphus myth today. The nation exists in a state of deep absurdity, experiencing regression across multiple sectors despite efforts to move forward.
According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, Indonesia stood at 34 out of 100 points in 2025, falling three points from 37 in 2024. This drop in rank to 108th out of 180 countries indicates a significant worsening of corrupt practices in the country.
Similarly, the SETARA Institute reported that Indonesia's 2025 Human Rights Index declined to 3 out of 7, marking three successive years of degradation.
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s February 2025 report on its 2024 Democracy Index further illustrates this decline. With a score of 6.44 out of 10, Indonesia now ranks 59th out of 167 countries as a "flawed democracy", reaching its lowest point in a decade, particularly regarding civil liberties.
Press freedom has also suffered: Reporters Without Borders gave Indonesia a score of 4.13 out of 10, a drastic drop of 16 spots to 127th. Journalists face a difficult environment characterized by violence, economic pressure and threats to critical media reminiscent of the New Order era, when press freedom was stifled in the name political stability.
