Liputan6.com, Jakarta The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information has just recently blocked and banned 22 'radical' sites.
The Indonesian Journalist Alliance (AJI) appreciates the Minister’s clever gesture as the growing concern regarding the websites heightens with most of them portraying radical teachings.
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However, in trying to remove pejorative virtual influence from these recently blocked websites, AJI hopes that the Indonesian government applies transparency and be democratic in doing so.
A group of experts have been gathered in accordance to the Ministry of Communication and Information law number 290 year of 2015 regarding forum addressing issue such as websites with negative content.
AJI views government's transparency as necessary as to yield nationwide citizens information on the authority's progress and willingness to uphold the law and prevent its people from being virtually victimized from the teachings of the radical websites.
AJI however, does not want for the gathered expert to be another justification to make another institution which censors many things in the virtual world.
"Hopefully, the panel consisting experts does not come out as another institution in the virtual world that censors everything," The leader of AJI, Ahmad Nurhasim said at the AJI Secretariat office, Jakarta on Sunday 5 April 2015.
One of the banned websites was Hidayatullah.com. However, conflict arises as the owner of the website was not informed in advanced about the government’s intention to block them.
This of course causes another problem. Thus, like what AJI said, it is better off for the government to be transparent to the website owners before taking them down.
It cannot just merely appear as another institution that bans everything without prior notice.
"I know that the government's intention is for positive purposes. However, the process is wrong and could spark another conflict. From the very first time it got blocked up until now, the Ministry did not give any reason of information. We didn’t receive any email concerning this," the owner of the website, Mahladi informed.
Mahladi explained how he has complained to the Director of De- radicalization from the Indonesian National Anti- Terrorist Agency (BNPT), Irvan Idris, Vice Deputy of Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Fadli Zon and the leader of Tebu Ireng Boarding School, Salahudin Wahid. (Akp/Ein)