Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists or AJI Indonesia has requested Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman, to halt the civil lawsuit against PT Tempo Inti Media Tbk. Tempo is being sued for Rp200 billion over a news article in the May 16, 2025 edition titled "Poles-Poles Beras Busuk" (Polishing Rotten Rice).
"We are among those who believe that the civil lawsuit should be stopped," said the General Chairperson of AJI Indonesia, Nany Afrida, who attended a virtual discussion in the Kalibata area, South Jakarta on Monday, October 20, 2025.
She emphasized that disputes regarding news should be resolved through the Press Council mechanism. This is in accordance with Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press.
According to the Legal Aid Institute for the Press, Nany stated that the Press Council mechanism has been completed. This is evidenced by the Statement, Assessment, and Recommendation (PPR) issued by the institution. Tempo has also received the decision and implemented all the recommendations from the Press Council.
Nany believes that revising an article and apologizing is more shameful for journalists than having to pay. "For me, the most important things are dignity and trust; once they make a mistake and then apologize or issue a correction, their credibility diminishes," Nany said.
The lawsuit between the Ministry of Agriculture and Tempo is registered under case number 684/Pdt.G/2025/PN JKT SEL. The Ministry, led by Amran Sulaiman, believes that Tempo has committed legal acts against the plaintiff, resulting in material and immaterial losses.
The Ministry of Agriculture is demanding material compensation of Rp19,173,000. This amount is considered necessary for the expenses incurred in finding and collecting data related to the media coverage and meetings regarding the actions alleged against Tempo.
Tempo is also requested to pay Rp200 billion as immaterial compensation. According to the plaintiff, Tempo's actions have led to a decline in the Ministry of Agriculture's performance, disrupted programs and activities, and affected public trust in the Ministry of Agriculture.
Tempo's legal representative, Mustafa Layong, stated that the case originated when Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman questioned Tempo's news headline regarding the ministry's rice management policy, titled "Poles-Poles Beras Busuk" (Polishing Rotten Rice). He said that Amran raised objections to the title as it was deemed to undermine the ministry's credibility and brought it to the Press Council.
One of the points of contention for the Minister of Agriculture was the word 'rotten' in the article's headline. According to Tempo's Deputy Chief Editor, Bagja Hidayat, the word 'rotten,' according to the Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language, means 'damaged'.
The headline represents the content of the article, which reveals the absorption of rice by the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) through the 'any quality' policy at a fixed price of Rp6,500 per kilogram. As a result of this policy, farmers soak good-quality rice to increase its weight. The rice absorbed by Bulog subsequently becomes damaged.
The damage to the rice is acknowledged by the Minister of Agriculture himself, as quoted in the article titled "Risiko Bulog Setelah Cetak Rekor Cadangan Beras Sepanjang Sejarah" (Risks for Bulog After Setting a Record for Rice Reserves in History).
Following mediation between Tempo and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Press Council issued a Statement, Assessment, and Recommendation (PPR). Tempo received this on June 18, 2025, and implemented all the recommendations the following day.
The five points in the recommendation are to change the title in the poster uploaded on Tempo's Instagram account, issue an apology statement, and moderate content. The remaining points state that Tempo should report back to the Press Council that they have implemented the recommendations.
The Executive Director of the Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) stated that the deadline for compliance is 2x24 hours after Tempo received the PPR. Therefore, Tempo's implementation of the PPR is still within the time frame indicated in the Press Council's assessment.
However, according to Mustafa, Amran Sulaiman filed a civil lawsuit with the South Jakarta District Court on July 1, 2025, claiming that Tempo had not complied with the Press Council's recommendations and demanding compensation.
– Hanin Marwah contributed to the writing of this article.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2059016/aji-indonesia-urges-minister-amran-to-withdraw-lawsuit-against-temp