House Speaker Lauds Govt Allowing Foreign Media Access to Papua
18 May 2015 12:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – House speaker Setya Novanto has welcomed the government’s decision to open access to Papua for foreign media.
“The House viewed that the government’s policy to give freedom to foreign journalists to enter Papua is a positive move to give information to the global community, “ he said at the House complex in his speech to open the House 4th session for 2014-2015 on Monday.
Setya, however, reminded that the policy could backfire. “The concern is if this kind of freedom can create loopholes for [foreign] intelligence operations as often found by the authorities thus far,” he said, adding that increased supervision was necessary to keep non-journalism activities from taking place in light of the policy.
“Papua has seen improved democracy as other regions have. So there is no need for us to cover up anything amid the more wide-open world. We just have to be careful of those who mean harm to us,” he said.
ANTARA
