Jakarta – The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has pulled two television shows off the air amid complaints that the programs clearly favored the party of owner and vice presidential candidate Hary Tanoesoedibjo in a flagrant violation of neutrality regulations.
The shows appeared on two stations owned by the media mogul and People's Conscience (Hanura) party candidate – RCTI and Global TV – and were heavily slanted toward the party.
Indonesian regulations demand that publicly broadcast television stations remain neutral and independent – a tall order in a nation where nearly all major television companies are owned by public officials and businessmen with political affiliations.
Both "Indonesia Cerdas" (Smart Indonesia) and "Kuis Kebangsaan" – a show where contestants phone in to answer quiz questions about Indonesia – have aired on Global TV and RCTI for months despite complaints from viewers about bias. The KPI sent both stations repeated requests to modify the programing – which pushed Hanura candidates Hary and Wiranto and used the party's tagline multiple times during each show – but the letters were ignored.
The KPI responded by issuing an order to suspend the shows until they adopted a more even-handed editorial stance.
"[The shows] not only engaged legislative candidates from the Hanura party, but the programs also presented Wiranto and Hary Tanoesoedibjo – who have been declared as presidential and vice presidential candidate for the party," KPI chief Judhariksawan told the Indonesian news portal Tribunnews.
Media watchdog Remotivi criticized the commission for dragging its feet. "The KPI works slowly; Kuis Kebangsaan has been broadcasting since October," the organization tweeted on Friday.
Indonesian media organizations have long been criticized for bias coverage favoring politically connected owners. A coalition of 32 groups called Frequencies Belong to the Public (FMP) issued a letter to the KPI urging greater oversight last month. The letter expressed concern over the content of programs on Hary's Global TV, MNC TV and RCTI; Golkar Party presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie's ANTV and TV One; and National Democratic Party (NasDem) founder Surya Paloh's Metro TV.
The KPI responded by signing an agreement on Jan. 16 to crack down on slanted coverage by the end of the month. The commission's chairman said he hoped the sanctions would serve as a stern reminder to the nation's broadcasters.
This year's elections have been seen as an important litmus test for the nation's once-restricted media. Everyone from media watchdog groups to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has warned of the dangers of creeping political influence in the Indonesian media during an election year. While the nation's largest newspaper Kompas is independently owned, most free-to-air television networks are owned by politically connected moguls – with Hary's MNC Group controlling the lion's share.
In the months leading up to April's legislative election, commercials lauding the leadership of Wiranto and Hary have received heavy rotation on MNC Group-owned channels. Not to be outdone, Aburizal has political advertisements running on ANTV and TV One while Surya, who hasn't officially declared his candidacy, has spots pushing NasDem on Metro TV.
The only other party with similar national reach is Prabowo Subianto's Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party, which has splashed cash on an extensive social media, print and television campaign in the lead-up to the election. In the party's latest ads, a burly bird called "Mas Garuda" fights against terrorism and lazy lawmakers in a video series posted to YouTube.