Foreign Residents to Be Restricted to Access Public Information
Tuesday, 27 June, 2006 | 15:58 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The discussion of the Draft Bill of the Freedom for Accessing Public Information has resulted in the rights of foreign residents to be restricted to access public information.
However, the restriction is expected not to extend to such activities as research or business interests. “Principally, there must be a certain freedom for Indonesian citizens. As for foreign residents, the same rights would be impossible,” said A.S. Hikam, a member of Commission I that is in the field of Defense at the DPR, at the time of the meeting at the Parliament complex yesterday.

Nevertheless, according to Hikam, not all public information is restricted to foreign residents, especially information which is considered general information and can be accessed from any other sources. “This is impossible to restrict. Should it be, it will be in contradiction with our objective, that for the public to have access to information easily.”

He affirmed that to access certain public information foreign residents must go through a a procedure in accordance with the existing mechanism.

Meanwhile, Sofyan Djalil, the State Minister of Information and Communication, told how foreign residents accessing information will be arranged by law. “That way, if there is a violation, it could be legally processed,” said Sofyan. He explained that a law that covered such violations as hackers, damaging websites or destroying data would be included.

In addition, restrictions are needed since, according to Sofyan, it would protect various parties in Indonesia from any prosecution. He cited a situation where there are foreign people intending to access information but either some parties or institutions in Indonesia could not give it to them. “We could be prosecuted,” said Sofyan.

Therefore, it will be arranged in the Bill of Freedom for Accessing Public Information whether information can be granted to foreigners or not. “Finally, the law will protect us from prosecution,” Sofyan said.

AQIDA