Yogyakarta, Indonesia ― June 11, 2010 ― Public television is an essential part of Indonesia’s national culture that provides space for expression of pluralism and multiculturalism; crucial to unite a country of diverse ethnicities, languages, and religions. This was the message delivered by the national seminar “Menyelamatkan TVRI, Menyelamatkan Ruang Publik Pluralisme” (“Saving TVRI, Saving Public Space for Pluralism”), organized by SERASI grantees Masyarakat Peduli Media and Yayasan Sains Estetika dan Teknologi (SET) in Yogyakarta, on, April 10, 2010. At the event, social and political observers urged the government to maintain the independence and neutrality of Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI), which plays a substantial role in the development of pluralism and multiculturalism in Indonesia. “We have to ensure that the public broadcasting units safeguard these roles; failure to do so result in media that only serves the interests of government and business,” said celebrated film director and cultural critic Garin Nugroho.

The seminar was held in response to an Indonesian Government Draft Regulation (RPP) concerning public broadcast institutions. The regulation draft is widely considered as a threat to the existence of TVRI, Indonesia’s only public television network. If passed, the regulation would merge TVRI and Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) into a single entity (RTRI) and change the status of the entity from a public institution to a state-owned broadcast company. The regulation draft also attempts to increase governmental authority to determine TVRI and RRI public broadcasting policies. If the draft becomes law, TVRI could essentially be used as a government mouthpiece. The local civil society organization Yayasan SET and others mobilized to salvage TVRI’s status as a public institution that prioritizes public values: solidarity, pluralism, peace building, and civic education.

The Yogyakarta seminar built upon the momentum created by an earlier SERASI-funded seminar in support of TVRI, held in March in Jakarta, and is part of a series of activities intended to both galvanize public support and clarify the government’s intentions toward TVRI. Both seminars were well attended by civil society representatives and organizations, students, media analysts and advocates, and journalists, as well as the directors and supervisory boards of TVRI and RRI, including DPR Commission 1 Communication and Information Staff Specialists and media analysts. The seminars were well received and discussions seemed to indicate that the public’s main concern is not the merger itself, but in the preservation of the independent role of RTRI. Nugroho’s statement that TVRI needs to be reformed, with a strong leadership, management skills, and an independent and impartial vision along the lines of the United States’ Public Broadcasting Service, the United Kingdom’s BBC, or NHK resonated with the audience. He stressed that TVRI must function without government intervention in programming content and management and with an impartial public mandate and strategy.

SERASI is a three-year USAID funded project focusing on conflict mitigation and supporting peace building activities. It is implemented by International Relief and Development (IRD).