Jakarta – Today marks the 47th anniversary of Tempo Magazine or Majalah Tempo. Throughout its timeline, this media has faced countless challenges and obstacles to providing the public with its most independent journalistic contents.
There are two incidents throughout its history which highlight the magazine's struggle to stay independent and avoid government intervention. It was the government ban on Tempo Magazine's publication in 1982 and 1994.
The 1982 government ban
Soeharto's New Order administration at the time decided to revoke Tempo Magazine's permit after the magazine published a report on the massive riot took place during Golkar Party's campaign at Lapangan Banteng, Central Jakarta on March 18, 1982.
Tempo's publishing permit was revoked by Minister of Information Ali Moertopo, who was the second most powerful man in Indonesia after Soeharto. However, the magazine was allowed to publish again less than two months after on May 15, 1982.
The 1994 government ban
The Indonesian government banned Tempo Magazine in June 1994 together with two other news magazines; Editor and Detik. Indonesia's New Order government revoked Tempo's SIUPP (License for Press Publishing) even though SIUPP had actually greatly limited press freedom and changed the press into an instrument of the then government.
The reason behind the banning was the investigative report released by Tempo Magazine after the government purchased a number of used East German warships for a price that was considered to be way too high for what it's worth. The New Order saw this news piece as an attempt to spark conflict among ministers in Soeharto's administration.
Tempo Magazine officially reopened after the collapse of Soeharto's New Order regime in 1998.