As one of Indonesian law products, Law No. 14/2008 on Public Information Transparency was enacted on April 30, 2008. Two years after that, or to be precise, on May 1, 2010 the Act will come into force. It binds each public institution to open access for the applicant to obtain public information, except for some specific information. UGM as a public institution is not spared from this obligation. The University is also expected to open access to every applicant for public information. "Implementation of this Act on May 1, 2010 will certainly needed socialization to the academic community and all UGM officials," said Suryo Baskoro, Head of Public Relations and Protocol Affairs of UGM, during the discussion on Freedom of Information, Thursday (1/4).
As the organizer of the discussion, Suryo expects acknowledgement of the Act can improve academic community awareness of information transparency. The demand of transparency will eventually lead to the accountability of UGM as a public institution. "The substance of the law has consequences that UGM should prepare a data base of information that can be publicized, form a focal point and assign an Information and Documentation Management Officer in each unit, who is responsible for providing public information and provide necessary services," he explained at the Senate Hall of UGM. The law is formulated on the basis that the information is a basic right of all citizens. This is in line with the principle set out in the Republic of Indonesia’s Constitution (UUD) 1945. There stated that everyone is at liberty to communicate and obtain information in order to develop personal and social environment and right to seek, obtain, possess, store, process and convey information using all types of channels available.
"The democracy in Indonesia entered a new era along with the reform movement in 1997. Since then, there was a great deal of public demand for openness/transparency. Apparently, the demand is responded well by the government, especially by the legislature. So, after that respective point there were also several important laws enacted, such as the Law No. 40/ 1999 about the Press, Law No. 11/2008 about Electronic Information and Transactions, Law No. 32/2002 about Broadcasting, and Law No. 14/2008 on Public Information Transparency", Suryo explains.Â
Senior Vice Rector for Administrative Affairs, Finance, and Human Resources Development of UGM, Prof. Ainun Na’im, M.B.A., Ph.D., assessed that the discussions are highly relevant to the current situation, especially with the implementation of this law at several universities, particularly UGM. "This law is important to comprehend because UGM in its management is very sensitive to public interests," he said when opening the discussion. However, according to Ainun Na’im, it should be sorted which kind of information that should be kept inside and not announced to the public or vice versa, then who should have the right to give the information and who should not. "At several colleges abroad, we can see parents are not allowed to accept their children report card because the one who has the right to accept it is the respective student only. Even if the parents want to know about it, they are expected to ask the children. Culturally, this is certainly not the same." he added. Therefore, precautionary attitude remains necessary in facing the information flow. This approach may arise, for example, when determining whether a student should graduate or not. "How do we explain someone graduating and not graduating, who is allowed to accept the score marks, and so on. This is something sensitive, it is necessary to understand the relevance to the Law. It is the same about education costs," he said. Ainun believes that the problem of information dissemination is an important and unique problem because the information has value; the economist called it economic value. In many fields, this information regulation actually has long existed. "In fact, probably since the last century, especially the state regulations concerning confidentiality, secrecy of intelligence, things that should be reported to the public. Regarding the capital market, for example, how can we expect a public company obey the regulation asking them to submit/deliver something strategic, both to company’s success and bankruptcy.
Similar with a country or government, we can see real stories when someone could get a punishment due to exposing the information which according to state regulation should not be exposed," he explained. One of the speakers in the discussion, Expert Staff of Communication and Information Minister of Social Affairs, Culture and Community Role, Dr. Suprawoto, SH, M. Si, said the Law No. 14/2008 is encouraging many people and institutions to change, while they previously closed now become transparent. Forced by this law, they immediately set up the data that might be needed public. Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Ma’mun of Central Information Commission Commissioner has a view that the socialization of law No. 14/2008 is important to do because approximately 7,000 institutions will be related to this law. They are expected to prepare a standard public information service and strive to minimize disputes caused by this law.
Also seen attending the event, the Chairman of the University and faculty, Board of Trustees, Council of Professors and Academic Senate, and the units within the UGM community.