2006年VOA标准英语-Indonesian Media Regulations Stir Up Conce

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
26 January 2006
 

Indonesian Information Minister Sofyan Djalil
(File photo - July 28, 2005)  
  
New broadcasting regulations in Indonesia have come under fire by critics who say the measures are a setback¹ for media freedom and undermine the country's democracy.

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The four government regulations cover allocating² frequencies, monitoring programs and licensing³ broadcasting stations. They also limit foreign broadcast content, as well as foreign ownership of broadcasting outlets⁴.

This means, among other things, local broadcasters will no longer be allowed to air news packages from foreign broadcasters.

The regulations also apply to foreign music shows featuring what the rules call "indecent performances" and foreign shows featuring "sadistic⁵ scenes."

The new rules were approved in November, but after an outcry by media companies and lawmakers, the government and parliament postponed⁶ implementing⁷ them for two months. They are to go into effect next month, but the exact date has not been set.

Critics say the regulations, which are scheduled to be debated in parliament on Monday, are open to a wide interpretation⁸.

The Minister of Communications and Information Sofyan Djalil agrees the law may be ambiguous. He says foreign broadcasts will be allowed, but limited and regulated.

"Actually it is not forbidden for foreign broadcast to be relayed to Indonesia but I think just the limits, the duration, the time, and then also I think there is mandatory⁹ for a kind of delayed policy," said Sofyan Djalil.

Heru Hendratmoko, the chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, says the regulations stifle¹⁰ media freedom and should be abolished.

"We insist that yes, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have to abrogate¹¹ these regulations, and number two, to remove the Minister of Communication and Information Sofyan Djalil, and number three is to liquidate¹² the Department of Communication and Information," he said.

The information minister says the regulations will not hamper¹³ press freedom and some controls over the media are necessary to uphold the values of the country.

"I don't have a problem for news from Voice of America or BBC because you propagate for instance democracy, rule of law, something like that. But what of, for instance, radio broadcasted from Mongolia or from North Korea and relayed in Indonesia? What they propagate is simply something contrary to the values and to the philosophy of the country," said Sofyan Djalil.

Many radio and television stations in the country carry news and current affairs programs from the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Voice of America, Duetsche Welle, and other foreign networks.

Heru, from the journalists' alliance, says local journalists benefit from this.

"I think that broadcasting journalists in Indonesia also have a benefit from foreign broadcasting because they can learn much from their colleagues abroad about how to produce news material, gathering¹⁴ information, and make a packaging as broadcast news," added Heru.

The latest regulations are based on a 2002 broadcasting law.

At that time, more than one hundred television and radio stations had been operating without official control since the 1998 ouster of President Suharto, who ruled the country for 32 years.

The Department of Communication and Information helped Mr. Suharto tightly control the news media, and it was abolished shortly after his downfall. It has been reinstated in stages over the past several years.

1 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

2 allocating   

分配，分派( allocate的现在分词 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• Administrative practice generally follows the judicial model in allocating burdens of proof. 在分配举证责任方面，行政实践通常遵循司法模式。
• A cyclical multiplexing technique, allocating resources in fixed-time slices. 以固定的时间片分配资源的循环复用技术。

3 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

4 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 sadistic   

adj.虐待狂的

参考例句：

• There was a sadistic streak in him.他有虐待狂的倾向。
• The prisoners rioted against mistreatment by sadistic guards.囚犯因不堪忍受狱警施虐而发动了暴乱。

6 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

7 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

8 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

9 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

10 stifle   

vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止

参考例句：

• She tried hard to stifle her laughter.她强忍住笑。
• It was an uninteresting conversation and I had to stifle a yawn.那是一次枯燥无味的交谈，我不得不强忍住自己的呵欠。

11 abrogate   

v.废止，废除

参考例句：

• When can we abrogate the national boundaries all over the world?什么时候可以在全球取消国界？
• A government may abrogate any unfair treaties.政府可以取消任何不公平的条约。

12 liquidate   

v.偿付，清算，扫除；整理，破产

参考例句：

• A unanimous vote was taken to liquidate the company.全体投票一致通过停业清理公司。
• They have not hesitated in the past to liquidate their rivals.过去他们曾毫不犹豫地铲除对手。

13 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。