I have fought for freedom of the press for most of my working years. In the worst of times, when the press was opposed in our country, I was fortunate that my thoughts and views always found their way into the public press. Freedom of statement, communication and information flows are fundamental to the existence of civilization and human rights. The press must be left unconstrained in its freedom, and allowed to regulate itself in direct responsibility to the public at large. That is why our cabinet has eliminated the Department of Information, which was so important to previous governments.
Information is a society's full right and domain.
The Indonesian people have lived too long without freedom of the press. When press freedom finally came, many adopted the media profession without learning the rules, morals and ethics of the press. Consequently much of today's news is inaccurate, unbalanced, manipulative and often in violation of generally accepted moral and ethical values. This is a price we have to pay in the learning process to reach a high level of professional standards, which will assist the press to adopt its role as an early warning mechanism in the tapestry of democracy. I am confident that with the reinstatement of law and the recovery of our value system and ethics the truth will emerge from a mature and independent press.