Kompas/Lasti Kurnia
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — The Department of Communications and Information must rethink the effects on online businesses if it is to persist for its draft on multimedia contents. If the draft is ratified by the ministry, then some internet businesses may boycott the move.
One major player who has threatened to leave Indonesia is Kaskus, Indonesia's largest online forum service. Kaskus chief marketing officer Danny Oei firmly stated that the company will leave Indonesia if the draft is ratified.
He believes that the government is biased if it only sees the negative effects of the internet without looking at the positive ones. While actually, preventing the negative effects takes effort from the users themselves, such as restraining from visiting porn sites.
"If it is done (ratified), well it will be a surprise for us and we may leave Indonesia," said Danny on a press conference together with other internet business players at Hotel Akmani, Jakarta, Wednesday. According to him, the draft would be a bad sign for the future of multimedia and the freedom to express oneself in Indonesia.
Danny stated that Kaskus might consider relocate its HQ to Singapore.
At the same time, the Legal Aid for the Press has also prepared some measures. Its chief of the non-litigation division claims to have prepared legal measures to be done before the ratification, or even after if the draft did come through. "We plan to send an open legal warning to the Department of Communication and Information, and also to ask for the Supreme Court to examine the case."
According to Arief, the considerations for the draft, which are based on the Press Law, Filming Law, and the Freedom of Information Act, have threatened the freedom of the press by allowing potentials for banning or news censoring. The Council of the Press has stated that the draft is against the Press Law and even the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia. (Caroline Damanik/C17-09)
One major player who has threatened to leave Indonesia is Kaskus, Indonesia's largest online forum service. Kaskus chief marketing officer Danny Oei firmly stated that the company will leave Indonesia if the draft is ratified.
He believes that the government is biased if it only sees the negative effects of the internet without looking at the positive ones. While actually, preventing the negative effects takes effort from the users themselves, such as restraining from visiting porn sites.
"If it is done (ratified), well it will be a surprise for us and we may leave Indonesia," said Danny on a press conference together with other internet business players at Hotel Akmani, Jakarta, Wednesday. According to him, the draft would be a bad sign for the future of multimedia and the freedom to express oneself in Indonesia.
Danny stated that Kaskus might consider relocate its HQ to Singapore.
At the same time, the Legal Aid for the Press has also prepared some measures. Its chief of the non-litigation division claims to have prepared legal measures to be done before the ratification, or even after if the draft did come through. "We plan to send an open legal warning to the Department of Communication and Information, and also to ask for the Supreme Court to examine the case."
According to Arief, the considerations for the draft, which are based on the Press Law, Filming Law, and the Freedom of Information Act, have threatened the freedom of the press by allowing potentials for banning or news censoring. The Council of the Press has stated that the draft is against the Press Law and even the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia. (Caroline Damanik/C17-09)
