Conference on Freedom of Economic Information for Effective Governance

Hotel Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia
April 24-26, 2000

Background

The conference on Freedom of Economic Information for Effective Governance was the second regional project implemented by the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) with the support of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington D.C.

The capstone event of the first project was a regional conference in Manila on Access to Economic Information. In preparation for the conference, CMFR organized a series of focused group discussions in six Southeast Asian capitals: Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Phnom Penh. These meetings explored how each of the six countries addressed the common problem of providing their people with timely access to reliable business and economic information and the consequences of their successes or failures. The results of these country-level discussions provided the framework and the agenda for the regional conference.

The last meeting was held in Bangkok as the problems of the Thai banking sector were beginning to surface, triggering a financial and economic crisis that spread from Thailand with unexpected virulence and speed into the rest of the region. The discussions in the conference anticipated later demands for transparency in the way governments and business corporations made business and economic decisions.

While analyzing country-specific problems, resource persons from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand probed for common patterns in their experiences, pointed to mistakes others need not make again, and tried to identify strategies that might prove effective in other settings. The participants also noted how differential access to economic information had an impact not only on business results but also on the growth of democratic practice. A better-informed public would respond more effectively to market signals and could hold political leaders more accountable for their decisions.

The positive response to the Manila Conference prompted an invitation for CMFR to design and organize a roundtable discussion in Indonesia. CIPE paved the way for the participation in the project of its Jakarta partner, the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES). Originally scheduled for 1998, the meeting was postponed because of the political turbulence that led to the collapse of the Soeharto regime and continued to affect the Habibie Government. Indonesian colleagues suggested holding the meeting after the elections, which presumably would define the political landscape with greater clarity.

As in Manila, the Jakarta Conference brought together the perspectives of government, business and the media. Representatives from civil society organizations and the academe also joined the three sectors.

Context of Discussions

The emergence of democratic government in Indonesia has resulted in greater freedom for media. At the same time, the journalism community of Indonesia had already begun to echo the call for responsible reporting that the CMFR had sounded a decade ago in the Philippines.

Abdurrahman Wahid won an unexpected presidential mandate in October 1999 and, at the time of the Jakarta Conference, had been in office for only six months. His administration had received a significant measure of approval, but the country continued to face enormous problems. With over 200 million people, Indonesia is the largest ASEAN nation. Its success or failure at nation-building will have tremendous repercussions not only for the region, but also for the rest of the world.

Indonesia’s democratization recalls many aspects of the Philippine post-Marcos experience.

In May 1998, Soeharto handed over the government to his deputy, B.J. Habibie. The abdication did not put an end to political unrest. Calls for reformation persisted and massive protest actions took over the streets. In October the following year, popular elections gave the majority vote to Megawati and her party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). But parliamentary elections selected an unlikely candidate, the blind and ailing Abdurahhman Wahid, leader of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Despite initial misgivings by political analysts, the election of Wahid or "Gus Dur" is now seen as having paved the way for genuine democratic change.

The democratic process has not been without serious setbacks. The violent separation of East Timor, economic collapse, calls for secession and intra-ethnic conflict in the Outer Islands weighed heavily on the transition government and set back efforts at economic and political recovery. The tasks of political reform involved, among others, the consolidation of state authority, eradication of corruption, the establishment of a new legal framework for greater democracy, and the formulation of an agenda for more effective governance.

The issue of information and communication is central to the new order, with implications for the conduct not only of the press and media, but for government, for business and for the rest of civil society.

Bringing together members of these different sectors, the forum made possible a free-wheeling exchange, where people who do not ordinarily work together could listen to different perspectives and new ways of looking at, or understanding problems. The focus on economic information reflected the significance of business and economics in the nation-building process. The theme of the conference thus linked access to, and management of information, particularly economic information as a factor for good governance not only in the public, but also in the private domain.

The emergence of a democratic environment in Indonesia has broadened the possibilities for delivering and sharing information. How Indonesia responds to these possibilities can provide lessons for other new democracies.