Freedom of the Press is a Strong Support for the Integrity of the Republic of Indonesia
MAJALENGKA-ASWINNEWS.COM- Freedom of the Press is a very strong support for maintaining the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
Said Aceng Syamsul Hadie, S.Sos.,MM, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DPP ASWIN (International Journalists Association) when met by the media team at his residence, Monday (03/03/2025).
“To create the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia is very closely related to press freedom, where the role and function of the press is to disseminate information, educate the public, and supervise the authorities in carrying out their duties for the benefit of the community and to create a just, prosperous, transparent and responsible country, so press freedom in society is very necessary and is a fundamental principle and one of the pillars in upholding the basic values of democracy, encouraging the realization of the supremacy of law and human rights and respecting diversity”, explained Aceng Syamsul Hadie who is also a lecturer at a university and a former member of the DPRD 3 (three terms) in Majalengka Regency.
According to Aceng, Press Freedom in Indonesia is a form of implementation of the 1945 Constitution Article 28, which regulates freedom of association and assembly, expressing thoughts verbally and in writing and so on, stipulated by law.
Press freedom is a human right that is a characteristic of democracy, this right is regulated in international law and national law. However, freedom of opinion and expression cannot be enforced automatically so that full support and serious commitment are needed between government officials, law enforcement officials and elements of society.
“If I may quote the statement of the third American President Thomas Jefferson, namely ‘No democracy without free press’, it means that democracy will not be realized without freedom of the press, even Jefferson explained that freedom of the press is an important right and cannot be limited and is part of individual freedom that must be maintained and cannot be limited without any loss, when the press is silenced, then all efforts for the public interest will be eliminated, without freedom of the press, there is certainly no guarantee of protection of human rights and a democratic country will not be achieved. It is clear that freedom of the press has an important role in building the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia which is democratic, because it can increase transparency, accountability, public participation, awareness, and understanding in the nation and state,” he said.
“However, it should be remembered that abuse of press freedom will have fatal consequences and this is a challenge, such as the spread of inaccurate, irresponsible and hoax information that can trigger social and political tensions, the use of press freedom for personal and group purposes and limited access to information that results in misunderstandings,” concluded Aceng Syamsul Hadie.
(Editorial Team)
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