DENPASAR, Indonesia (The Jakarta Post/Pacific Media Watch/Thomson Foundation/Rappler): About 90 editors, journalists, press council representatives, internet service providers and broadcast regulators from 25 countries have met at the annual Bali Media Forum, which took place on the sidelines of the Bali Democracy Forum last week.
However, press releases about the event were thin on details, saying only that the group had agreed that communications on the internet should be based on truth and accuracy, humanity and accountability.
Journalists had agreed to pursue "fact-based communications", "avoid malice and minimise harm" and to strive for "transparency and self-correction", said the Thomson Foundation, one of the organisers.
The organisers steered clear of criticising the Indonesian government's new crackdown on democratic rights. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa was given a platform to close the Media Forum.
Natalegawa said at the closing session of the forum that “Indonesia's economic and democratic transformation would never have happened without the contribution made by free media".
The Jakarta Post earlier reported that:
"To ensure the success of the seventh Bali Democracy Forum, police announced on Monday that they would not tolerate demonstrations or protests of any kind during the two-day event. Bali Deputy Police chief Brig. Gen. IGN Raharja Subyakta said that for the duration of the forum, all rallies would be banned in the Nusa Dua area, where the international forum will be held. The one-star general added that protests would also be prohibited at Ngurah Rai International Airport."
The Rappler news website reported that 11 prominent Indonesian non-governmental organisations had boycotted the Bali Democracy Forum in protest at the new Regional Elections Law which "strips the people of the power to elect district heads, mayors and governors", returning this power to local councils as was the case under the previous Suharto dictatorship.
The boycotting organisations included Perludem (Associations for Elections and Democracy), Migrant Care, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), Kontras (Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence), and Transparency International Indonesia.
Writing for Pacific Scoop, analyst Michael Vatikiotis said it was "absurd" of Indonesia to hold an international forum on democracy just as Indonesia’s Parliament just voted to curtail democracy at the grassroots level and the Indonesian police banned the democratic right to protest.
"That’s almost as absurd as the military’s insistence in Thailand that it intervened to save democracy," Vatikiotis wrote.
The Bali Media Forum had been billed as an international conference that would address "the blurring line between of the role of bloggers, NGOs, journalists, private companies and the state as information providers to the public through established media, on-line and social media", and look at the role of the state, private corporations and civil society in joining with media to promote ethics in online communication.
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