TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Press Council member Stanley Adi Prasetyo stated that the Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) does not need to summon the Indonesian Republic Radio (RRI) regarding the radio’s quick count on presidential election. He said RRI as a public agency that also uses the state budget needs to provide the right information to the public.
“RRI represents the public and has to be in the forefront in giving the right information. The DPR must be wise in dealing with this,” he said on Tuesday.
Stanley continued that RRI’s presidential election quick count is still in accordance with journalistic principles and that quick count or survey aims to find, obtain, own and manage information which is part of media research. “RRI is a public broadcasting agency. Same with Kompas that conducted quick count, a precision journalism that aims to see the real votes from quick count,” he said.
According to Stanley, RRI can conduct quick count as long as it uses scientific method. RRI is also different from private pollsters that may have a particular purpose.
In RRI’s quick count, Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla won with 52.21 percent while Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa only gained 47.49 percent.
Commission I deputy chief Ramadhan Pohan said RRI as a public agency should not be allowed to broadcast quick count results in order to maintain neutrality of public broadcasting agencies whereas no one seemed to have a problem when RRI broadcast quick count results of legislative elections on April 9.
LINDA TRIANITA
